ILLUSTRATED  LIBRARY  OF  TRAVEL 


TRAVELS   IN    ARABIA 


COMPILED     AND     ARRANGED     BY 

BAYARD   TAYLOR 


REVISED   BY 

THOMAS  STEVENS 


NEW  YORK 

CHARLES   SCRIBNER'S   SONS 
1892 


COPYRIGHT,  1881,  1892,  BY 
CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S   SONS 


TBOW  DIRECTORY 
AND  BOOKBINDING  COMPANY 
HIW  YORK 


REVISER'S   NOTE 

THE  continuance  of  Bayard  Taylor's  Library  of 
Travel  in  the  popular  favor  is  one  of  the  accepted 
facts  of  the  literary  world.  So  much  so,  indeed, 
that  a  revision  of  his  works  on  the  part  of  another  is 
to  be  permitted  only  on  certain  conditions  of  reserve, 
and  by  reason  of  events  that  have  transpired  since 
the  death  of  the  distinguished  traveller. 

Travellers  and  authors  die ;  but  the  tribes,  nations, 
and  races  visited  by  them  continue  on,  making  war 
or  peace,  changing  frontiers,  setting  up  or  pulling 
down  dynasties. 

The  whole  political  complexion  of  a  country  may 
be  changed  in  a  decade.  Though  the  people  of 
Arabia,  the  genuine  Bedouins,  are  believed  to  have 
changed  little  or  nothing  in  their  mode  of  life  since 
the  days  of  the  Shepherd  Kings  of  Abraham's  time, 
waves  of  political  and  religious  agitation  have  occa- 
sionally rippled  over  one  part  or  another  of  the  an- 
cient peninsula.  Seemingly  they  make  as  little 
permanent  impression  on  the  undercurrent  of  Bed- 
ouin life,  as  do  the  waves  of  the  sea  on  its  immutable 
whole,  so  that  the  accounts  of  the  earlier  chroniclers 
of  Arabian  life  and  manners  agree  in  a  singular  man- 
ner with  the  descriptions  of  contemporary  visitors. 
For  this  reason,  no  less  than  for  the  respect  and  ad- 

2075590 


iv  REVISER'S  NOTE 

miration  entertained  by  the  reviser  for  Mr.  Taylor's 
conscientiousness  and  judgment  as  a  traveller  and 
compiler,  and  his  literary  excellence  as  an  author, 
this  volume  remains,  practically,  as  fully  the  work  of 
its  original  editor  as  before. 

By  way  of  bringing  it  up  to  date,  however,  Chap- 
ter XVII.  has  been  added,  and  such  slight  revision 
of  preceding  chapters  has  been  made  as  was  found 
necessary,  consistent  with  the  scope  and  intention  of 
the  new  edition. 

THOMAS  STEVENS. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER   I.  PAOB 

SKETCH  OF  ARABIA  :  ITS  GEOGRAPHICAL,  POSITION,  AND 

ANCIENT  HISTORY, 1 

CHAPTER  II. 
EARLY  EXPLORERS  OF  ARABIA, 8 


CHAPTER  m. 
NIEBUHR'S  TRAVELS  IN  YEMEN, 14 

CHAPTER  IV. 

BURCKHARDT'S  JOURNEY  TO  MECCA  AND  MEDINA,  .  .        29 

CHAPTER  V. 
WELLSTED'S  EXPLORATIONS  IN  OMAN,      ....      40 

CHAPTER  VI. 
WELLSTED'S  DISCOVERY  OF  AN  ANCIENT  CITY  IN  HAD- 

RAMAUT, 55 

CHAPTER  VII. 
BURTON'S  PILGRIMAGE, 62 

CHAPTER  VEIL 

PALGRAVE'S  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ARABIA  :  FROM  PALES- 
TINE TO  THE  DJOWF, 83 


Vl  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  IX.  PAGE 

PALGRAVE'S  TRAVELS — RESIDENCE  IN  THE  DJOWF,        .    107 

CHAPTER    X. 
PALGRAVE'S  TRAVELS — CROSSING  THE  NEFOOD,      .        .    127 

CHAPTER  XL 
PALGRAVE'S  TRAVELS— LIFE  IN  HA'YEL 138 

CHAPTER    XIL 
PALGRAVE'S  TRAVELS — JOURNEY  TO  BEREYDAH,     .        .176 

CHAPTER   TTTT. 

PALGRAVE'S  TRAVELS — JOURNEY  TO  RI'AD  THE  CAPITAL 

OF  NEDJED, 201 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
PALGRAVE'S  TRAVELS — ADVENTURES  IN  RI'AD,       .        .    217 

CHAPTER  XV. 
PALGRAVE'S  TRAVELS  — His  ESCAPE  TO  THE  EASTERN 

COAST, 240 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
PALGRAVE'S  TRAVELS— EASTERN  ARABIA,        .       .        .    259 

CHAPTER  XVTL 
LADY  BLUNT'S  PILGRIMAGE  TO  NEJD,      ....    279 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


A  NIGHT  MARCH  ON  THE  ARABIAN  DESERT,    .       Frontispiece 


FACING 
PAGE 


COFFEE  HILLS  OF  YEMEN, 19 

VIEW  OF  EL-MEDINA, 39 

A  VALLEY  IN  OMAN, 51 

RUINS  OF  NAKAB-EL-HADJAR,  IN  HADRAMATJT,        .        .  59 

VIEW  OF  MEDINA  FROM  THE  WEST,          ....  69 

CAMP  AT  MOUNT  ARAFAT, 77 

COSTUME  OF  PILGRIMS  TO  MECCA, 81 

WILLIAM  GIFFORD  PALGRAVE, 84 

AN  ARAB  CHIEF, 105 

CAPTAIN  BURTON  AS  A  PILGRIM, 129 

THE  VILLAGE  OF  EL-SUWAYRKITAH,         ....  184 

AN  ARAB  ENCAMPMENT, 190 

DEATH  ON  THE  DESERT, 208 


TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 


CHAPTER  I. 

SKETCH    OF    ARABIA:   ITS  GEOGRAPHICAL    POSITION, 
AND    ANCIENT   HISTORY 

THE  Peninsula  of  Arabia,  forming  the  extreme 
southwestern  corner  of  Asia,  is  partly  de- 
tached, both  in  a  geographical  and  historical  sense, 
from  the  remainder  of  the  continent.  Although 
parts  of  it  are  mentioned  in  the  oldest  historical  rec- 
ords, and  its  shores  were  probably  familiar  to  the 
earliest  navigators,  the  greater  portion  of  its  terri- 
tory has  always  remained  almost  inaccessible  and  un- 
known. 

The  desert  lying  between  Syria  and  the  Euphra- 
tes is  sometimes  included  by  geographers  as  belong- 
ing to  Arabia,  but  a  line  drawn  from  the  Dead  Sea 
to  the  mouth  of  the  Euphrates  (almost  coinciding 
with  the  parallel  of  30°  N.)  would  more  nearly  repre- 
sent the  northern  boundary  of  the  peninsula.  As 
the  most  southern  point  of  the  Arabian  coast  reaches 
the  latitude  of  12°  40',  the  greater  part  of  the  entire 
territory,  of  more  than  one  million  square  miles,  lies 
within  the  tropics.  In  shape  it  is  an  irregular  rhom- 
boid, the  longest  diameter,  from  Suez  to  the  Cape 


2  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

El-Had,  in  Oman,  being  1,660,  and  from  the  Eu- 
phrates to  the  Straits  of  Bab-el-Mandeb,  1,400 
miles. 

The  entire  coast  region  of  Arabia,  on  the  Red 
Sea,  the  Indian  Ocean,  and  the  Gulfs  of  Oman  and 
Persia,  is,  for  the  most  part,  a  belt  of  fertile  coun- 
try, inhabited  by  a  settled,  semi-civilized  population. 
Back  of  this  belt,  which  varies  in  width  from  a  few 
miles  to  upward  of  a  hundred,  commences  a  des- 
ert table-land,  occasionally  intersected  by  mountain 
chains,  and  containing  in  the  interior  many  fertile 
valleys  of  considerable  extent,  which  are  inhabited. 
Very  little  has  been  known  of  this  great  interior  re- 
gion until  the  present  century. 

The  ancient  geographers  divided  Arabia  into  three 
parts — Arabia  Petrcea,  or  the  Rocky,  comprising  the 
northwestern  portion,  including  the  Sinaitic  penin- 
sula, between  the  Gulfs  of  Suez  and  Akaba  ;  Arabia 
Deserta,  the  great  central  desert ;  and  Arabia  felix, 
the  Happy,  by  which  they  appear  to  have  designated 
the  southwestern  part,  now  known  as  Yemen.  The 
modern  Arabic  geography,  which  has  been  partly 
adopted  on  our  maps,  is  based,  to  some  extent,  on 
the  political  divisions  of  the  country.  The  coast  re- 
gion along  the  Red  Sea,  down  to  a  point  nearly  half 
way  between  Jedda  and  the  Straits  of  Bab-el-Man- 
deb,  and  including  the  holy  cities  of  Medina  and 
Mecca,  is  called  the  Hedjaz.  Yemen,  the  capital  of 
which  is  Sana,  and  the  chief  seaports  Mocha,  Hodeida, 
and  Loheia,  embraces  all  the  southwestern  portion  of 
the  peninsula.  The  southern  coast,  although  divided 
into  various  little  chiefdoms,  is  known  under  the 


SKETCH  OF  ARABIA  3 

general  name  of  Hadramaut.  The  kingdom  of 
Oman  lias  extended  itself  along  the  eastern  shore, 
nearly  to  the  head  of  the  Persian  Gulf.  The  north- 
ern oases,  the  seat  of  the  powerful  sect  of  the  "Waha- 
bees,  are  called  Nedjed ;  and  the  unknown  southern 
interior,  which  is  believed  to  be  almost  wholly  desert, 
inhabited  only  by  a  few  wandering  Bedouins,  is 
known  as  the  Dahna  or  Akhaf. 

Arabia  has  been  inhabited  by  the  same  race  since 
the  earliest  times,  and  has  changed  less,  in  the  course 
of  thousands  of  years,  than  any  other  country  of  the 
globe,  not  excepting  China.  According  to  Biblical 
genealogy,  the  natives  are  descended  from  Ham, 
through  Gush  ;  but  the  Bedouins  have  always  claimed 
that  they  are  the  posterity  of  Ishmael.  Some  por- 
tions of  the  country,  such  as  Edom,  or  Idumaea,  Te- 
man,  and  Sheba  (the  modern  Yemen),  are  mentioned 
in  the  Old  Testament ;  but  neither  the  Babylonian, 
Assyrian,  Persian,  nor  Egyptian  monarchies  suc- 
ceeded in  gaining  possession  of  the  peninsula.  Alex- 
ander the  Great  made  preparations  for  a  journey  of 
conquest,  which  was  prevented  by  his  death,  and 
Trajan  was  the  only  Roman  emperor  who  penetrated 
into  the  interior. 

The  inhabitants  were  idolaters,  whose  religion 
had  probably  some  resemblance  to  that  of  the  Phoe- 
nicians. After  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  both 
Jews  and  Christians  found  their  way  thither,  and 
made  proselytes.  There  were  Jews  in  Medina,  Mec- 
ca, and  Yemen  ;  and  even  the  last  Hymyaritic  king 
of  the  latter  country  became  a  convert  to  Mosaic 
faith.  Thus  the  strength  of  the  ancient  religion  was 


4  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

already  weakened  when  Mohammed  was  born  (A.D. 
570) ;  and  there  are  strong  evidences  for  the  conject- 
ure that  the  demoralization  of  both  Jews  and  Chris- 
tians, resulting  from  their  long  enmity,  was  the  chief 
cause  which  prevented  Mohammed  from  adopting  the 
belief  of  the  latter.  At  the  time  of  his  birth,  the 
civilization  of  the  dominant  Arab  tribes  was  little 
inferior  to  that  of  Europe  or  the  Eastern  Empire. 
There  was  already  an  Arabic  literature ;  and  the  arts 
and  sciences  of  the  ancient  world  had  found  their 
way  even  to  the  oases  of  Nedjed. 

The  union  of  the  best  and  strongest  elements  in 
the  race  which  followed  the  establishment  of  the 
new  religion,  gave  to  men  of  Arabian  blood  a  part  to 
play  in  the  history  of  the  world.  For  six  hundred 
years  after  Mohammed's  death  Islam  and  Christen- 
dom were  nearly  equal  powers,  and  it  is  difficult, 
even  now,  to  decide  which  contributed  the  more  to 
the  arts  from  which  modern  civilization  has  sprung. 
Arabia  flourished,  as  never  before,  under  the  Ca- 
liphs ;  yet  it  does  not  appear  that  the  life  of  the 
inhabitants  was  materially  changed,  or  that  any 
growth,  acquired  during  the  new  importance  of  the 
country,  became  permanent.  Its  commerce  was  re- 
stricted to  the  products  of  its  narrow  belt  of  fertile 
shore  ;  an  arid  desert  separated  it  from  Bagdad  and 
Syria ;  none  of  the  lines  of  traffic  between  Europe 
and  the  East  Indies  traversed  its  territory,  and  thus 
it  remained  comparatively  unknown  to  the  Christian 
world. 

After  the  downfall  of  the  Caliphate  the  tribes  re- 
lapsed into  their  former  condition  of  independent 


SKETCH  OF  ARABIA  5 

chiefdorns,  and  the  old  hostilities,  which  had  been 
partially  suppressed  for  some  centuries,  again  re- 
vived. In  the  sixteenth  century  the  Turks  obtained 
possession  of  Hedjaz  and  Yemen  ;  the  Portuguese 
held  Muscat  for  a  hundred  and  fifty  years,  and  the 
Persians  made  some  temporary  conquests,  but  the 
vast  interior  region  easily  maintained  its  indepen- 
dence. The  deserts,  which  everywhere  intervene  be- 
tween its  large  and  fertile  valleys  and  the  seacoast, 
are  the  home  of  wandering  Bedouin  tribes,  whose 
only  occupation  is  plunder — whose  hand  is  against 
every  man's  and  every  man's  hand  against  them. 
Thus  they  serve  as  a  body-guard  even  to  their  own 
enemies. 

The  long  repose  and  seclusion  of  Central  Arabia 
was  first  broken  during  the  present  century.  It  may 
be  well  to  state,  very  briefly,  the  circumstances  which 
led  to  it,  since  they  will  explain  the  great  difficulty 
and  danger  which  all  modern  explorers  must  en- 
counter. Early  in  the  last  century,  an  Arabian 
named  Abd  el-Wahab,  scandalized  at  what  he  be- 
lieved to  be  the  corruption  of  the  Moslem  faith,  began 
preaching  a  Reformation.  He  advocated  the  slaugh- 
ter or  forcible  conversion  of  heretics,  the  most  rigid 
forms  of  fasting  and  prayer,  the  disuse  of  tobacco, 
and  various  other  changes  in  the  Oriental  habits  of 
life.  Having  succeeded  in  converting  the  chief  of 
Nedjed,  Mohammed  Ibu-Saoud,  he  took  up  his  resi- 
dence in  Derreyeh,  the  capital,  which  thenceforth 
became  the  rendezvous  for  all  his  followers,  who 
were  named  Wahabees.  They  increased  to  such  an 
extent  that  their  authority  became  supreme  through- 


6  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

out  Central  Arabia,  and  the  successor  of  Ibu-Saoud 
was  able  to  call  an  army  of  100,000  men  into  the 
field,  and  defy  the  Ottoman  power. 

In  the  year  1803  the  Wahabees  took  and  plundered 
Mecca,  and  slew  great  numbers  of  the  pilgrims  who 
had  gathered  there.  A  second  expedition  against 
Medina  failed,  but  the  annual  caravan  of  pilgrims 
was  robbed  and  dispersed.  Finally,  in  1809,  the 
Sultan  transferred  to  Mohammed  Ali,  of  Egypt,  the 
duty  of  suppressing  this  menacing  religious  and  politi- 
cal rebellion.  The  first  campaign  in  Arabia  was  a 
failure ;  the  second,  under  Ibrahim  Pasha,  was  suc- 
cessful. He  overcame  the  "Wahabees  in  1818,  capt- 
ured Derreyeh,  and  razed  it  to  the  ground.  In 
1828  they  began  a  second  war  against  Turkey,  but 
were  again  defeated.  Since  then  they  have  refrained 
from  any  further  aggressive  movement,  but  their  hos- 
tility and  bigotry  are  as  active  as  ever.  The  Waha- 
bee  doctrine  flatters  the  clannish  and  exclusive  spirit 
of  the  race,  and  will  probably  prevent,  for  a  long 
time,  any  easy  communication  between  Arabia  and 
the  rest  of  the  world. 

The  greater  part  of  our  present  knowledge  of 
Arabia  has  been  obtained  since  the  opening  of  this 
century.  The  chief  seaports  and  the  route  from 
Suez  to  Mt.  Sinai  were  known  during  the  Middle 
Ages,  but  all  else  was  little  better  than  a  blank. 
Within  the  last  fifty  or  sixty  years  the  mountains  of 
Edom  have  been  explored,  the  rock-hewn  city  of 
Petra  discovered,  the  holy  cities  of  Medina  and  Mecca 
visited  by  intelligent  Europeans ;  Yemen,  Hadra- 
inaut,  and  Oman  partly  traversed  ;  and,  last  of  all 


SKETCH  OF  ARABIA  7 

we  have  a  very  clear  and  satisfactory  account  of  Ned- 
jed  and  the  other  central  regions  of  Arabia,  by  the 
intrepid  English  traveller,  Mr.  Palgrave. 

Thus,  only  the  southern  interior  of  the  peninsula 
remains  to  be  visited.  The  name  given  to  it  by  the 
Arabs,  Rdba  el-Khaly,  "  the  abode  of  emptiness," 
no  doubt  describes  its  character.  It  is  an  immense, 
undulating,  sandy  waste,  dotted  with  scarce  and 
small  oases,  which  give  water  and  shelter  to  the  Bed- 
ouins, but  without  any  large  tract  of  habitable  land, 
and  consequently  without  cities,  or  other  than  the 
rudest  forms  of  political  organization. 


CHAPTEK  II. 

EARLY  EXPLOEEES  OF  AEABIA 

WHEN  the  habit  of  travel  began  to  revive  in 
the  Middle  Ages,  its  character  was  either 
religious  or  commercial,  either  in  the  form  of  pil- 
grimages to  Rome,  Palestine  (whenever  possible), 
and  the  shrines  of  popular  saints,  or  of  journeys  to 
the  Levant,  Persia,  and  the  Indies,  with  the  object  of 
acquiring  wealth  by  traffic,  the  profits  of  which  in- 
creased in  the  same  proportion  as  its  hazards.  From 
the  time  of  Trajan's  expedition  to  Arabia  (in  A.D. 
117)  down  to  the  sixteenth  century,  we  have  no  re- 
port of  the  history  or  condition  of  the  country  except 
such  as  can  be  drawn  from  the  earlier  Jewish  and 
Christian  traditions  and  the  later  Mohammedan  rec- 
ords. 

The  first  account  of  a  visit  to  Arabia  which  ap- 
pears to  be  worthy  of  credence,  is  that  given  by  Lu- 
dovico  Bartema,  of  Rome.  After  visiting  Egypt,  he 
joined  the  caravan  of  pilgrims  at  Damascus,  in  1503, 
in  the  company  of  a  Mameluke  captain,  himself  dis- 
guised as  a  Mameluke  renegade.  After  several  at- 
tacks from  the  Bedouins  of  the  desert,  the  caravan 
reached  Medina,  which  he  describes  as  containing 
three  hundred  houses.  Bartema  gives  a  very  correct 


EARLY  EXPLORERS  OF  ARABIA       9 

description  of  the  tomb  of  the  Prophet,  and  scoffs  at 
the  then  prevalent  belief  that  the  latter's  coffin  is 
suspended  in  the  air  between  four  lodestones. 

He  thus  describes  an  adventure  which  befell  his 
company  the  same  evening  after  their  visit  to  the 
mosque.  "  At  almost  three  of  the  night,  ten  or 
twelve  of  the  elders  of  the  sect  of  Mohammed  en- 
tered into  our  caravan,  which  remained  not  past  a 
stone's  cast  from  the  gate  of  the  city.  These  ran 
hither  and  thither,  crying  like  madmen  with  these 
words :  '  Mohammed,  the  messenger  and  apostle  of 
God,  shall  rise  again  !  O  Prophet,  O  God,  Moham- 
med shall  rise  again  1  Have  mercy  on  us,  God ! ' 
Our  captain  and  we,  all  raised  with  this  cry,  took 
weapon  with  all  expedition,  suspecting  that  the  Arabs 
were  come  to  rob  our  caravan.  "We  asked  what  was 
the  cause  of  that  exclamation,  and  what  they  cried  ? 
For  they  cried  as  do  the  Christians  when  suddenly 
any  marvellous  thing  chanceth.  The  elders  an- 
swered :  '  Saw  you  not  the  lightning  which  shone  out 
of  the  sepulchre  of  the  Prophet  Mohammed  ? '  Our 
captain  answered  that  he  saw  nothing,  and  we  also 
being  demanded,  answered  in  like  manner.  Then 
said  one  of  the  old  men  :  '  Are  you  slaves  ? '  This 
to  say  bought  men,  meaning  thereby,  Mamelukes. 
Then  said  our  captain  :  '  We  are  indeed  Mamelukes.' 
Then  again  the  old  man  said  :  '  You,  my  lords,  can- 
not see  heavenly  things,  as  being  neophiti,  that  is, 
newly  come  to  the  faith,  and  not  yet  confirmed  in 
our  religion.'  It  is  therefore  to  be  understood  that 
none  other  shining  came  out  of  the  sepulchre  than  a 
certain  flame,  which  the  priests  caused  to  come  out 
2 


10  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

of  the  open  place  of  the  tower,  whereby  they  would 
have  deceived  us." 

Leaving  Medina,  the  caravan  travelled  for  three 
days  over  a  "  broad  plain,"  all  covered  with  white 
sand,  in  manner  as  small  as  flour.  Then  they  passed 
a  mountain,  where  they  heard  "  a  certain  horrible 
noise  and  cry,"  and  after  journeying  for  ten  days 
longer,  during  which  time  they  twice  fought  with 
"  fifty  thousand  Arabians,"  they  reached  Mecca,  of 
which  Bartema  says :  "  The  city  is  very  fair,  and 
well  inhabited,  and  containeth  in  round  form  six 
thousand  houses  as  well  builded  as  ours,  and  some 
that  cost  three  or  four  thousand  pieces  of  gold  :  it 
hath  no  walls." 

Bartema  describes  the  ceremonies  performed  by 
the  pilgrims  with  tolerable  correctness.  His  fel- 
lowship with  the  Mamelukes  seems  to  have  been  a 
complete  protection  up  to  the  time  when  the  caravan 
was  ready  to  set  out  on  its  return  to  Damascus,  and 
the  members  of  the  troop  were  ordered  to  accompany 
it,  on  pain  of  death.  Then  he  managed  to  escape  by 
persuading  a  Mohammedan  that  he  understood  the 
art  of  casting  cannon,  and  wished  to  reach  India,  in 
order  to  assist  the  native  monarchs  in  defending 
themselves  against  the  Portuguese.  Reaching  Jedda 
in  safety,  Bartema  sailed  for  Persia,  visiting  Yemen 
on  the  way  ;  made  his  way  to  India,  and  after  vari- 
ous adventures,  returned  to  Europe  by  way  of  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope. 

The  second  European  who  made  his  way  to  the 
holy  cities  was  Joseph  Pitts,  an  Englishman,  who 
was  captured  by  an  Algerine  pirate,  as  a  sailor-boy 


EARLY  EXPLORERS  OF  ARABIA  11 

of  sixteen,  and  forced  by  his  master  to  become  a 
Mussulman.  After  some  years,  when  he  had  ac- 
quired the  Arabic  and  Turkish  languages,  he  accom- 
panied his  master  for  a  pilgrimage  to  Mecca  by 
way  of  Cairo,  Suez,  and  the  Red  Sea.  Here  he  re- 
ceived his  freedom  ;  but  continued  with  the  pilgrims 
to  Medina,  and  returned  to  Egypt  by  land,  through 
Arabia  Petraea.  After  fifteen  years  of  exile  he  suc- 
ceeded in  escaping  to  Italy,  and  thence  made  his  way 
back  to  England. 

Pitts  gives  a  minute  and  generally  correct  account 
of  the  ceremonies  at  Mecca.  He  was  not,  of  course, 
learned  in  Moslem  theology,  and  his  narrative,  like 
that  of  all  former  visitors  to  Mecca,  has  been  super- 
seded by  the  more  intelligent  description  of  Burck- 
hardt ;  yet  it  coincides  with  the  latter  in  all  essential 
particulars.  His  description  of  the  city  and  surround- 
ing scenery  is  worth  quoting,  from  the  quaint  sim- 
plicity of  its  style. 

"  First,  as  to  Mecca.  It  is  a  town  situated  in  a 
barren  place  (about  one  day's  journey  from  the  Red 
Sea),  in  a  valley,  or  rather  in  the  midst  of  many  lit- 
tle hills.  It  is  a  place  of  no  force,  wanting  both 
walls  and  gates.  Its  buildings  are,  as  I  said  before, 
very  ordinary,  insomuch  that  it  would  be  a  place  of 
no  tolerable  entertainment,  were  it  not  for  the  anni- 
versary resort  of  so  many  thousand  Hagges  (Hadjis), 
or  pilgrims,  on  whose  coming  the  whole  dependence 
of  the  town  (in  a  manner)  is ;  for  many  shops  are 
scarcely  open  all  the  year  besides. 

"  The  people  here,  I  observed,  are  a  poor  sort  of 
people,  very  thin,  lean  and  swarthy.  The  town  is 


12  TRAVELS  IN  AEABIA 

surrounded  for  several  miles  with  many  thousands 
of  little  hills,  which  are  very  near  one  to  the  other. 
I  have  been  on  the  top  of  some  of  them  near  Mecca, 
where  I  could  see  some  miles  about,  yet  was  not  able 
to  see  the  farthest  of  the  hills.  They  are  all  stony- 
rock  and  blackish,  and  pretty  near  of  a  bigness,  ap- 
pearing at  a  distance  like  cocks  of  haj*,  but  all  point- 
ing toward  Mecca.  Some  of  them  are  half  a  mile  in 
circumference,  but  all  near  of  one  height.  The  peo- 
ple here  have  an  odd  and  foolish  sort  of  tradition  con- 
cerning them,  viz.,  that  when  Abraham  went  about 
building  the  Beat- Allah  (Beit-Allah,  or  'House  of 
God '),  God  by  his  wonderful  providence  did  so 
order  it,  that  every  mountain  in  the  world  should 
contribute  something  to  the  building  thereof ;  and 
accordingly  every  one  did  send  its  proportion,  though 
there  is  a  mountain  near  Algier  which  is  called  Cor- 
radog,  i.e.,  Black  Mountain,  and  the  reason  of  its 
blackness,  they  say,  is  because  it  did  not  send  any 
part  of  itself  toward  building  the  temple  at  Mecca. 
Between  these  hills  is  good  and  plain  travelling, 
though  they  stand  one  to  another. 

"  There  is  upon  the  top  of  one  of  them  a  cave, 
which  they  term  Ilira,  i.e.,  Blessing,  into  which, 
they  say,  Mohamet  did  usually  retire  for  his  solitary 
devotions,  meditations,  and  fastings ;  and  here  they 
believe  he  had  a  great  part  of  the  Alcoran  brought 
him  by  the  angel  Gabriel.  I  have  been  in  this  cave, 
and  observed  that  it  is  not  at  all  beautified,  at  which 
I  admired. 

"  About  half  a  mile  out  of  Mecca  is  a  very  steep 
hill,  and  there  are  stairs  made  to  go  to  the  top  of  it, 


EARLY  EXPLORERS  OF  ARABIA      13 

where  is  a  cupola,  under  which  is  a  cloven  rock ;  into 
this,  they  say,  Mahomet  when  very  young,  viz., 
about  four  years  of  age,  was  carried  by  the  angel 
Gabriel,  who  opened  his  breast  and  took  out  his 
heart,  from  which  he  picked  some  black  blood  specks, 
which  was  his  original  corruption ;  then  put  it  into 
its  place  again,  and  afterward  closed  up  the  part ; 
and  that  during  this  operation  Mahomet  felt  no 
pain." 

The  next  account  of  the  same  pilgrimage  is  given 
by  Giovanni  Tinati,  an  Italian,  who  deserted  from 
the  French  service  on  the  coast  of  Dalmatia,  and 
became  an  Albanian  soldier.  Making  his  way  to 
Egypt,  after  various  adventures,  he  became  at  last  a 
corporal  in  Mohammed  All's  body-guard,  and  shared 
in  several  campaigns  against  the  Wahabees.  He  did 
not,  however,  penetrate  very  far  inland  from  the 
coast,  and  his  visit  to  Mecca  was  the  result  of  his 
desertion  from  the  Egyptian  army  after  a  defeat. 
His  narrative  contains  nothing  which  has  not  been 
more  fully  and  satisfactorily  stated  by  later  trav- 
ellers. 

By  this  time,  however,  the  era  of  careful  scientific 
exploration  had  already  commenced,  and  the  descrip- 
tions which  have  since  then  been  furnished  to  us 
are  positive  contributions  to  our  knowledge  of  Ara- 
bia. With  the  exception  of  the  journey  of  Carsten 
Niebuhr,  which  embraces  only  the  Sinaitic  Peninsula 
and  Yemen,  the  important  explorations — all  of  which 
are  equally  difficult  and  daring — have  been  made 
since  the  commencement  of  this  century. 


CHAPTER  III. 

NIEBUHR'S  TRAVELS    IN   YEMEN 

IN  1760  the  Danish  government  decided  to  send  an 
expedition  to  Arabia  and  India,  for  the  purpose 
of  geographical  exploration.  The  command  was 
given  to  Carsten  Niebuhr,  a  native  of  Hanover,  and 
a  civil  engineer.  Four  other  gentlemen,  an  artist, 
a  botanist,  a  physician,  and  an  astronomer,  were  asso- 
ciated with  him  in  the  undertaking  ;  yet,  by  a  singu- 
lar fatality,  all  died  during  the  journey,  and  Kiebuhr 
returned  alone,  after  an  absence  of  nearly  seven 
years,  to  publish  the  first  narrative  of  travel  based  on 
scientific  observation. 

The  party  sailed  from  Copenhagen  for  Smyrna  in 
January,  1761,  visited  Constantinople,  and  then  pro- 
ceeded to  Egypt,  where  they  remained  nearly  a  year. 
After  a  journey  to  Sinai,  they  finally  succeeded  in 
engaging  passage  on  board  a  vessel  carrying  pilgrims 
from  Suez  to  Jedda,  and  sailed  from  the  former  port 
in  October,  1762.  They  took  the  precaution  of 
adopting  the  Oriental  dress,  and  conformed,  as  far  as 
possible,  to  the  customs  of  the  Mussulman  passen- 
gers ;  thus  the  voyage,  although  very  tedious  and  un- 
comfortable, was  not  accompanied  with  any  other 
danger  than  that  from  the  coral  reefs  along  the 
Arabian  shore.  The  vessel  touched  at  Yambo,  the 


NIEBUHR'S  TRAVELS  IN  YEMES  15 

port  of  Medina,  and  finally  reached  Jedda,  after  a 
voyage  of  nineteen  days. 

The  travellers  entered  Jedda  under  strong  appre- 
hensions of  ill-treatment  from  the  inhabitants,  but 
were  favorably  disappointed.  The  people,  it  seemed, 
were  already  accustomed  to  the  sight  of  Christian 
merchants  in  their  town,  and  took  no  particular  notice 
of  the  strangers,  who  went  freely  to  the  coffee-houses 
and  markets,  and  felt  themselves  safe  so  long  as  they 
did  not  attempt  to  pass  through  the  gate  leading  to 
Mecca.  The  Turkish  Pasha  of  the  city  received 
them  kindly,  and  they  were  allowed  to  hire  a  house 
for  their  temporary  residence. 

After  waiting  six  weeks  for  the  chance  of  a  pas- 
sage to  Mocha,  they  learned  that  an  Arabian  vessel 
was  about  to  sail  for  Hodeida,  one  of  the  ports  of 
Yemen.  The  craft,  when  they  visited  it,  proved  to 
be  more  like  a  hogshead  than  a  ship ;  it  was  only  seven 
fathoms  long,  by  three  in  breadth.  It  had  no  deck  ; 
its  planks  were  extremely  thin,  and  seemed  to  be 
only  nailed  together,  but  not  pitched.  The  captain 
wore  nothing  but  a  linen  cloth  upon  his  loins,  and 
his  sailors,  nine  in  number,  were  black  slaves  from 
Africa  or  Malabar.  Nevertheless,  they  engaged  pas- 
sage, taking  the  entire  vessel  for  themselves  alone ; 
but  when  they  came  to  embark,  it  was  filled  with  the 
merchandise  of  others.  The  voyage  proved  to  be 
safe  and  pleasant,  and  in  sixteen  days  they  landed  at 
Loheia,  in  Yemen. 

The  governor  of  this  place  was  a  negro,  who  had 
formerly  been  a  slave.  He  received  the  travellers 
with  the  greatest  kindness,  persuaded  them  to  leave 


16  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

the  vessel,  and  gave  them  a  residence,  promising 
camels  for  the  further  journey  by  land.  Although 
they  were  somewhat  annoyed  by  the  great  curiosity 
of  the  inhabitants,  their  residence  was  so  agreeable, 
and  offered  the  naturalists  so  many  facilities  for  mak- 
ing collections,  that  they  remained  nearly  four 
months.  "We  had  one  opportunity,"  says  Kiebuhr, 
"  of  learning  their  ideas  of  the  benefits  to  be  derived 
from  medicine.  Mr.  Cramer  had  given  a  scribe  an 
emetic  which  operated  with  extreme  violence.  The 
Arabs,  being  struck  at  its  wonderful  effects,  resolved 
all  to  take  the  same  excellent  remedy,  and  the  repu- 
tation of  our  friend's  skill  thus  became  very  high 
among  them.  The  Emir  of  the  port  sent  one  day 
for  him  ;  and,  as  he  did  not  go  immediately,  the 
Emir  soon  after  sent  a  saddled  horse  to  our  gate. 
Mr.  Cramer,  supposing  that  this  horse  was  intended 
to  bear  him  to  the  Emir,  was  going  to  mount  him, 
when  he  was  told  that  this  was  the  patient  he  was  to 
cure.  We  luckily  found  another  physician  in  our 
party ;  our  Swedish  servant  had  been  with  the  hus- 
sars in  his  native  country,  and  had  acquired  some 
knowledge  of  the  diseases  of  horses.  He  offered  to 
cure  the  Emir's  horse,  and  succeeded.  The  cure 
rendered  him  f amous,.  and  he  was  afterward  sent  for 
to  human  patients." 

Having  satisfied  themselves  by  this  time  that 
there  was  no  danger  in  travelling  in  Yemen,  they 
did  not  wait  for  the  departure  of  any  large  caravan, 
but,  on  February  20,  1763,  set  out  from  Loheia, 
mounted  on  asses,  and  made  their  way  across  the 
,)  or  low  country,  toward  the  large  town  of 


NIEBUHR'S  TRAVELS  IN  YEMEN  17 

Beit  el-Fakili,  which  stands  near  the  base  of  the 
coffee-bearing  hills.  They  wore  dresses  somewhat 
similar  to  those  of  the  natives,  a  long  shirt,  reaching 
nearly  to  the  feet,  a  girdle,  and  a  mantle  over  the 
shoulders.  The  country  was  barren,  but  there  were 
many  villages,  and  at  intervals  of  every  few  miles 
they  found  coffee-houses,  or,  rather,  huts,  for  the  re- 
freshment of  travellers.  After  having  suffered  no 
further  inconvenience  than  from  the  brackish  water, 
which  is  drawn  from  wells  more  than  a  hundred  feet 
deep,  they  reached  Beit  el-Fakili  in  five  days. 

Here  they  were  kindly  received  by  one  of  the  native 
merchants,  who  hired  a  stone  house  for  them.  The 
town  is  seated  upon  a  well-cultivated  plain ;  it  is 
comparatively  modern,  but  populous,  and  the  travel- 
lers, now  entirely  accustomed  to  the  Arabian  mode  of 
life,  felt  themselves  safe.  The  Emir  took  no  par- 
ticular notice  of  them,  a  neglect  with  which  they 
were  fully  satisfied,  since  it  left  them  free  to  range 
the  country  in  all  directions.  Kiebuhr,  therefore,  de- 
termined to  make  the  place  the  temporary  head- 
quarters of  the  expedition,  and  to  give  some  time  to 
excursions  in  that  part  of  Yemen.  "  I  hired  an  ass," 
says  he,  "  and  its  owner  agreed  to  follow  me  as  my 
servant  on  foot.  A  turban,  a  great  coat  wanting  the 
sleeves,  a  shirt,  linen  drawers,  and  a  pair  of  slippers, 
were  all  the  dress  that  I  wore.  It  being  the  fashion 
of  the  country  to  carry  arms  in  travelling,  I  had  a 
sabre  and  two  pistols  hung  by  my  girdle.  A  piece 
of  old  carpet  wTas  my  saddle,  and  served  me  likewise 
for  a  seat,  a  table,  and  various  other  purposes.  To 
cover  me  at  night,  I  had  the  linen  cloak  which  the 


18  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

Arabs  wrap  about  their  shoulders,  to  shelter  them 
from  the  sun  and  rain.  A  bucket  of  water,  an  article 
of  indispensable  necessity  to  a  traveller  in  these  arid 
regions,  hung  by  1113"  saddle." 

After  a  trip  to  the  seaport  of  Hodeida,  Niebuhr 
visited  the  old  town  of  Zebid,  built  on  the  ruins  of 
an  older  city,  which  is  said  to  have  once  been  the 
capital  of  all  the  low  country.  Zebid  is  situated  in 
a  large  and  fertile  valley,  traversed  during  the  rainy 
season  by  a  considerable  stream,  by  which  a  large 
tract  of  country  is  irrigated.  There  are  the  remains 
of  an  aqueduct  built  by  the  Turks,  but  the  modern 
town  does  not  cover  half  the  space  of  the  ancient 
capital.  Zebid,  however,  is  still  distinguished  for  its 
academy,  in  which  the  youth  of  all  that  part  of  Ye- 
men study  such  sciences  as  are  now  cultivated  by  the 
Mussulmans. 

Niebuhr's  next  trip  was  to  the  plantations  of  the 
famous  Mocha  coffee,  whither  the  other  members  of 
the  party  had  already  gone,  during  his  visit  to  Zebid. 
After  riding  about  twenty  miles  eastward  from  Beit 
el-Fakih,  lie  reached  the  foot  of  the  mountains.  He 
thus  describes  the  region  :  "  Neither  asses  nor  mules 
can  be  used  here.  The  hills  are  to  be  climbed  by 
steep  and  narrow  paths  ;  yet,  in  comparison  with  the 
parched  plains  of  the  Tehama,  the  scenery  seemed  to 
me  charming,  as  it  was  covered  with  gardens  and 
plantations  of  coffee-trees. 

"  Up  to  this  time  I  had  seen  only  one  small  basalt- 
ic hill ;  but  here  whole  mountains  were  composed 
chiefly  of  those  columns.  Such  detached  rocks 
formed  grand  objects  in  the  landscape,  especially 


NIEBUHR'S  TRAVELS  IN  YEMEN  19 

where  cascades  of  water  were  seen  to  rush  from  their 
summits.  The  cascades,  in  such  instances,  had  the 
appearance  of  being  supported  by  rows  of  artificial 
pillars.  These  basalts  are  of  great  utility  to  the  in- 
habitants ;  the  columns,  which  are  easily  separated, 
serve  as  steps  where  the  ascent  is  most  difficult,  and 
as  materials  for  walls  to  support  the  plantations  of 
coffee-trees  upon  the  steep  declivities  of  the  moun- 
tains. 

"  The  tree  which  affords  the  coffee  is  well  known 
in  Europe ;  so  that  I  need  not  here  describe  it  par- 
ticularly. The  coffee-trees  were  all  in  flower  at 
Bulgosa,  and  exhaled  an  exquisitely  agreeable  per- 
fume. They  are  planted  upon  terraces,  in  the  form 
of  an  amphitheatre.  Most  of  them  are  only  watered 
by  the  rains  that  fall,  but  some,  indeed,  from  large 
reservoirs  upon  the  heights,  in  which  spring-water 
is  collected,  in  order  to  be  sprinkled  upon  the  ter- 
races, where  the  trees  grow  so  thick  together  that 
the  rays  of  the  sun  can  hardly  enter  among  their 
branches.  We  were  told  that  those  trees,  thus  arti- 
ficially watered,  yielded  ripe  fruit  twice  in  the  year  ; 
but  the  fruit  becomes  not  fully  ripe  the  second  time, 
and  the  coffee  of  this  crop  is  always  inferior  to  that 
of  the  first. 

"  Stones  being  more  common  in  this  part  of  the 
country  than  in  the  Tehama,  the  houses — as  well  of 
the  villages  as  those  which  are  scattered  solitarily 
over  the  hills — are  built  of  this  material.  Although 
not  to  be  compared  to  the  houses  of  Europe  for  com- 
modiousness  and  elegance,  yet  they  have  a  good  ap- 
pearance ;  especially  such  of  them  as  stand  upon  the 


20  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

heights,  with  amphitheatres  of  beautiful  gardens  and 
trees  around  them. 

"  Even  at  this  village  of  Bnlgosa  we  were  greatly 
above  the  level  of  the  plain  from  which  we  had  as- 
cended ;  yet  we  had  scarcely  climbed  half  the  ascent 
to  Kusma,  where  the  Emir  of  this  district  dwells, 
upon  the  loftiest  peak  of  the  range  of  mountains. 
Enchanting  landscapes  there  meet  the  eye  on  all 
sides. 

"We  passed  the  night  at  Balgosa.  Several  of 
the  men  of  the  village  came  to  see  us,  and  after  they 
retired  we  had  a  visit  from  our  hostess,  with  some 
young  women  accompanying  her,  who  were  all  very 
desirous  to  see  the  Europeans.  They  seemed  less 
shy  than  the  women  in  the  cities ;  their  faces  were 
unveiled,  and  they  talked  freely  with  us.  As  the 
air  is  fresher  and  cooler  upon  these  hills,  the  women 
have  a  finer  and  fairer  complexion  than  in  the  plain. 
Our  artist  drew  a  portrait  of  a  young  girl  who  was 
going  to  draw  water,  and  was  dressed  in  a  shirt  of 
linen,  checkered  blue  and  white.  The  top  and  mid- 
dle of  the  shirt,  as  well  as  the  lower  part  of  the 
drawers,  were  embroidered  with  needlework  of  dif- 
ferent colors." 

Having  met  with  no  molestation  so  far,  Kiebuhr 
determined  to  make  a  longer  excursion  into  the 
southern  interior  of  Yemen,  among  the  mountains, 
to  the  important  towns  of  Udden  and  Taas.  The 
preparations  were  easily  made.  The  travellers  hired 
asses,  the  owners  accompanying  them  on  foot  as 
guides  and  servants.  As  a  further  disguise  they  as- 
sumed Arabic  names,  and  their  real  character  was  so 


NIEBUHR'S  TRAVELS  IN  YEMEN  21 

well  concealed  that  even  the  guides  supposed  them 
to  be  Oriental  Christians — not  Europeans.  Enter- 
ing the  mountains  by  an  unfrequented  road,  they 
found  a  barren  region  at  first,  but  soon  reached  vai- 
leys  where  coffee  was  cultivated.  The  inhabitants, 
on  account  of  the  cooler  nights,  sleep  in  linen  bags, 
which  they  draw  over  the  head,  and  thus  keep  them- 
selves warm  by  their  own  breathing. 

After  reaching  Udden,  which  Niebuhr  found  to 
be  a  town  of  only  three  hundred  houses,  the  hill- 
country  became  more  thickly  settled.  Beside  the 
roads,  which  had  formerly  been  paved  with  stones, 
there  were  frequent  tanks  of  water  for  the  use  of 
travellers,  and,  in  exposed  places,  houses  for  their 
shelter  in  case  of  storms.  The  next  important  place 
was  Djobla,  a  place  of  some  importance  in  the  annals 
of  Yemen,  but  with  no  antiquities,  except  some 
ruined  mosques.  A  further  march  of  two  days 
brought  the  party  to  the  fortified  city  of  Taas,  but 
they  did  not  venture  within  its  walls,  not  having  ap- 
plied to  the  Emir  for  permission.  They  returned  to 
their  quarters  at  Beit  el-Fakih,  by  way  of  Haas, 
another  large  town  at  the  base  of  the  mountains,  hav- 
ing made  themselves  acquainted  with  a  large  portion 
of  the  hill-country  of  Arabia  Felix. 

The  journey  to  Mocha  lasted  three  days,  over  a 
hot,  barren  plain,  with  no  inhabitants  except  in  the 
wadys  or  valleys,  which  are  well  watered  during  the 
rainy  season.  Their  arrival  at  Mocha  was  followed 
by  a  series  of  annoyances,  first  from  the  custom- 
house officials,  and  then  from  the  Emir,  who  con- 
ceived a  sudden  prejudice  against  the  travellers, 


22  TRAVELS  IN  AH  AST  A 

so  that  they  were  in  danger  of  being  driven  out  of 
the  city.  An  English  merchant,  however,  came  to 
their  assistance,  a  present  of  fifty  ducats  mollified 
the  Emir,  and  at  the  end  of  a  very  disagreeable 
week  they  received  permission  to  stay  in  the  city. 
From  heat  and  privation  they  had  all  become  ill,  and 
in  a  short  time  one  of  the  party  died. 

Niebuhr  now  requested  permission  to  proceed  to 
Sana,  the  capital  of  Yemen.  This  the  Emir  re- 
fused, until  he  could  send  word  to  the  Imam ;  but, 
after  a  delay  of  a  month,  he  allowed  the  party  to  go 
as  far  as  Taas,  which  they  reached  in  four  days,  and 
where  they  were  well  received.  The  refreshing  rains 
every  evening  purified  the  air,  and  all  gradually  re- 
covered their  health,  except  the  botanist,  who  died 
before  reaching  Sana. 

Taas  stands  at  the  foot  of  the  fertile  mountain  of 
Sabber,  upon  which,  the  Arabs  say,  grow  all  varie- 
ties of  plants  and  trees  to  be  found  in  the  world. 
Nevertheless  they  did  not  allow  the  travellers  to 
ascend  or  even  approach  it.  The  city  is  surrounded 
with  a  wall,  between  sixteen  and  thirty  feet  high, 
and  flanked  with  towers.  The  patron  saint  of  the 
place  is  a  former  king,  Ismael  Melek,  who  is  buried 
in  a  mosque  bearing  his  name.  No  person  is  allowed 
to  visit  the  tomb  since  the  occurrence  of  a  miracle, 
which  Niebuhr  thus  relates :  "  Two  beggars  had 
asked  charity  of  the  Emir  of  Taas,  but  only  one  of 
them  had  tasted  of  his  bounty.  Upon  this  the  other 
went  to  the  tomb  of  Ismael  Melek  to  implore  his 
aid.  The  saint,  who,  when  alive,  had  been  very 
charitable,  stretched  his  hand  out  of  the  tomb  and 


NTEBVHR'S  TRAVELS  IN  YEMEN  23 

gave  the  beggar  a  letter  containing  an  order  on  the 
Emir  to  pay  him  a  hundred  crowns.  Upon  examin- 
ing this  order  with  the  greatest  care  it  was  found 
that  Ismael  Melek  had  written  it  with  his  own  hand 
and  sealed  it  with  his  own  seal.  The  governor  could 
not  refuse  payment;  but  to  avoid  all  subsequent 
trouble  from  such  bills  of  exchange,  he  had  a  wall 
built,  inclosing  the  tomb." 

The  Emir  of  Taas  so  changed  in  his  behavior 
toward  the  travellers,  after  a  few  days,  that  he  or- 
dered them  to  return  to  Mocha.  Finding  all  their 
arguments  and  protests  in  vain,  they  were  about  to 
comply,  when  a  messenger  arrived  from  Mocha, 
bringing  the  permission  of  the  Imam  of  Yemen  for 
them  to  continue  their  journey  to  Sana.  They  set 
out  on  June  28th,  and,  after  crossing  the  mountain 
ranges  of  Mharras  and  Samara,  by  well-paved  and 
graded  roads,  reached,  in  a  week,  the  town  of  Jerim, 
near  the  ruins  of  the  ancient  Ilimyaritic  city  of 
Taphar,  which,  however,  they  were  unable  to  visit 
on  account  of  the  illness  of  Mr.  Forskal,  the  botanist 
of  the  expedition.  This  gentleman  died  in  a  few 
days;  and  they  were  obliged  to  bury  him  by  night, 
witli  the  greatest  precaution. 

From  Jerim  it  is  a  day's  journey  to  Damar,  the 
capital  of  a  province.  The  city,  which  is  seated  in 
the  midst  of  a  fertile  plain,  and  is  without  walls,  con- 
tains five  thousand  well-built  houses.  It  has  a  fa- 
mous university,  which  is  usually  attended  by  five 
hundred  students.  The  travellers  were  here  very 
much  annoyed  by  the  curiosity  of  the  people,  who 
threw  stones  at  their  windows  in  order  to  force  them 


24  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

to  show  themselves.  There  is  a  mine  of  native  sul- 
phur near  the  place,  and  a  mountain  where  cornelians 
are  found,  which  are  highly  esteemed  throughout  the 
East. 

Beyond  Damar  the  country  is  hilly,  but  every  vil- 
lage is  surrounded  with  gardens,  orchards,  and  vine- 
yards, which  are  irrigated  from  large  artificial  reser- 
voirs built  at  the  foot  of  the  hills.  On  reaching  Sana 
the  travellers  were  not  allowed  to  enter  the  city,  but 
conducted  to  an  unfurnished  house  without  the  walls, 
where  they  were  ordered  to  wait  two  days  in  entire 
seclusion,  until  they  could  be  received  by  the  Imam. 
During  this  time  they  were  not  allowed  to  be  visited 
by  anyone.  Niebuhr  thus  describes  their  interview, 
which  took  place  on  the  third  day  : 

"  The  hall  of  audience  was  a  spacious  square  cham- 
ber, having  an  arched  roof.  In  the  middle  was  a 
large  basin,  with  some  jets  d'eau,  rising  fourteen 
feet  in  height.  Behind  the  basin,  and  near  the 
throne,  were  two  large  benches,  each  a  foot  and  a 
half  high  ;  upon  the  throne  was  a  space  covered  with 
silken  stuff,  on  which,  as  well  as  on  both  sides  of  it, 
lay  large  cushions.  The  Imam  sat  between  the  cush- 
ions, with  his  legs  crossed  in  the  Eastern  fashion  ; 
his  gown  was  of  a  bright  green  color,  and  had  large 
sleeves.  Upon  each  side  of.  his  breast  was  a  rich 
filleting  of  gold  lace,  and  on  his  head  he  wore  a  great 
white  turban.  Ilis  sons  sat  on  his  right  hand,  and 
his  brothers  on  the  left.  Opposite  to  them,  on  the 
highest  of  the  two  benches,  sat  the  Yizier,  and  our 
place  was  on  the  lower  bench. 

"  We  were  first  led  up  to  the  Imam,  and  were  per- 


NIEBUHR'3  TRAVELS  IN  YEMEN  25 

mitted  to  kiss  both  the  back  and  the  palm  of  his 
hand,  as  well  as  the  hem  of  his  robe.  It  is  an  extra- 
ordinary favor  when  the  Mohammedan  princes  per- 
mit any  person  to  kiss  the  palm  of  the  hand.  There 
was  a  solemn  silence  through  the  whole  ball.  As 
each  of  us  touched  the  Imam's  hand  a  herald  still 
proclaimed,  '  God  preserve  the  Imam  ! '  and  all  who 
were  present  repeated  these  words  after  him.  I  was 
thinking  at  the  time  how  I  should  pay  my  compli- 
ments in  Arabic,  and  was  not  a  little  disturbed  by 
this  noisy  ceremony. 

"  We  did  not  think  it  proper  to  mention  the  true 
reason  of  our  expedition  through  Arabia ;  but  told 
the  Imam  that,  wishing  to  travel  by  the  shortest 
ways  to  the  Danish  colonies,  in  the  East  Indies,  we 
had  heard  so  much  of  the  plenty  and  security  which 
prevailed  through  his  dominions,  that  we  had  re- 
solved to  see  them  with  our  own  eyes,  so  that  we 
might  describe  them  to  our  countrymen.  The  Imam 
told  us  we  were  welcome  to  his  dominions,  and  might 
stay  as  long  as  we  pleased.  After  our  return  home 
be  sent  to  each  of  us  a  small  purse  containing  ninety- 
nine  komassis,  two  and  thirty  of  which  make  a  crown. 
This  piece  of  civility  might,  perhaps,  appear  no  com- 
pliment to  a  traveller's  delicacy.  But,  when  it  is 
considered  that  a  stranger,  unacquainted  with  the 
value  of  the  money  of  the  country,  obliged  to  pay 
every  day  for  his  provisions,  is  in  danger  of  being 
imposed  upon  by  the  money-changers,  this  care  of 
providing  us  with  small  money  will  appear  to  have 
been  sufficiently  obliging." 

"  The  city  of  Sana,"  says  Niebuhr,  "  is  situated  at 
3 


26  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

the  foot  of  Mount  Kikkum,  on  which  are  still  to  be 
seen  the  rnins  of  a  castle,  which  the  Arabs  suppose  to 
have  been  built  by  Shem.  Kear  this  mountain  stands 
the  citadel ;  a  rivulet  rises  upon  the  other  side,  and 
near  it  is  the  Bostan  el-Metwokkel,  a  spacious  garden, 
which  was  laid  out  by  the  Imam  of  that  name,  and 
has  been  greatly  embellished  by  the  reigning  Imam. 
The  walls  of  the  city,  which  are  built  of  bricks,  ex- 
clude this  garden,  which  is  inclosed  within  a  wall  of 
its  own.  The  city,  properly  so  called,  is  not  very  ex- 
tensive ;  one  may  walk  around  it  in  an  hour.  There 
are  a  number  of  mosques,  some  of  which  have  been 
built  by  Turkish  Pashas.  In  Sana  are  only  twelve 
public  baths,  but  many  noble  palaces,  three  of  the 
most  splendid  of  which  have  been  built  by  the  reign- 
ing Imam.  The  materials  of  these  palaces  are  burnt 
bricks,  and  sometimes  even  hewn  stones ;  but  the 
houses  of  the  common  people  are  of  bricks  which 
have  been  dried  in  the  sun. 

"  The  suburb  of  Bir  el-Arsab  is  nearly  adjoining 
the  city  on  the  east  side.  The  houses  of  this  village 
are  scattered  through  the  gardens,  along  the  banks  of 
a  small  river.  Fruits  are  very  plenteous  ;  there  are 
more  than  twenty  kinds  of  grapes,  which,  as  they  do 
not  all  ripen  at  the  same  time,  continue  to  afford  a 
delicious  refreshment  for  several  months.  The  Arabs 
likewise  preserve  grapes  by  hanging  them  up  in  their 
cellars,  and  eat  them  almost  through  the  whole  year. 
Two  leagues  northward  from  Sana  is  a  plain  named 
Rodda,  which  is  overspread  with  gardens  and  watered 
by  a  number  of  rivulets.  This  place  bears  a  great 
resemblance  to  the  neighborhood  of  Damascus.  But 


NIEBUHR'S  TRAVELS  IN  YEMEN  27 

Sana,  which  some  ancient  authors  compare  to  Damas- 
cus, stands  on  a  rising  ground,  with  nothing  like 
florid  vegetation  about  it.  After  long  rains,  indeed, 
a  small  rivulet  runs  through  the  city  ;  but  all  the 
ground  is  dry  through  the  rest  of  the  year.  How- 
ever, by  aqueducts  from  Mount  Nikkum  the  town 
and  castle  of  Sana  are,  at  all  times,  supplied  with 
abundance  of  excellent  fresh  water." 

After  a  stay  of  a  week  the  travellers  obtained  an 
audience  of  leave,  fearing  that  a  longer  delay  might 
subject  them  to  suspicions  and  embarrassments.  Two 
days  afterward  the  Imam  sent  each  of  them  a  com- 
plete suit  of  clothes,  with  a  letter  to  the  Emir  of 
Mocha,  ordering  him  to  pay  them  two  hundred 
crowns  as  a  farewell  present.  He  also  furnished 
them  with  camels  for  the  journey.  Instead  of  return- 
ing by  the  same  road  they  determined  to  descend 
from  the  hill-country  to  their  old  headquarters  at 
Beit  el-Fakih,  and  thence  cross  the  lowland  to  Mocha. 

For  two  days  they  travelled  over  high,  rocky 
mountains,  by  the  worst  roads  they  found  in  Yemen. 
The  country  was  poor  and  thinly  inhabited,  and  the 
declivities  only  began  to  be  clothed  with  trees  and 
terraced  into  coffee  plantations  as  they  approached 
the  plains.  The  poorer  regions  are  not  considered 
entirely  safe  by  the  Arabs,  as  the  people  frequently 
plunder  defenceless  travellers ;  but  the  party  passed 
safely  through  this  region,  and  reached  Beit  el-Fakih 
after  a  week's  journey  from  Sana. 

Niebuhr  and  his  companions  reached  Mocha  early 
in  August,  and  toward  the  end  of  that  month  sailed 
in  an  English  vessel  for  Bombay,  after  a  stay  of  ten 


28  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

months  in  Yemen.  The  artist  of  the  expedition  and 
the  Swedish  servant  died  on  the  Indian  Ocean,  and 
the  physician  in  India,  a  few  months  afterward,  leav- 
ing Niebuhr  the  sole  survivor  of  the  six  persons  who 
left  Copenhagen  three  years  before.  After  having 
sent  home  the  journals  and  collections  of  the  expedi- 
tion lie  continued  his  travels  through  the  Persian 
Gulf,  Bagdad,  Armenia,  and  Asia  Minor,  finally 
reaching  Denmark  in  1767.  The  era  of  intelligent, 
scientific  exploration,  which  is  now  rapidly  opening 
all  parts  of  the  world  to  our  knowledge,  may  be  said 
to  have  been  inaugurated  by  his  travels. 


CHAPTEK  IV. 

BURCKHARDT'S  JOURNEY  TO   MECCA  AND  MEDINA 

BUHCKHARDT,  to  whom  we  are  indebted  for 
the  first  careful  and  complete  description  of  the 
holy  cities  of  Arabia,  was  a  native  of  Lausanne,  in 
Switzerland.  After  having  been  educated  in  Ger- 
many, he  went  to  London  with  the  intention  of  en- 
tering the  English  military  service,  but  was  per- 
suaded by  Sir  Joseph  Banks  to  apply  to  the  African 
Association  for  an  appointment  to  explore  the  Sa- 
hara, and  the  then  unknown  negro  kingdoms  of  Cen- 
tral Africa.  His  offer  was  accepted,  and  after  some 
preparation  he  went  to  Aleppo,  in  Syria,  where  he 
remained  for  a  year  or  two,  engaged  in  studying 
Arabic  and  familiarizing  himself  with  Oriental  habits 
of  life. 

His  first  journeys  in  Syria  and  Palestine,  which 
were  only  meant  as  preparations  for  the  African  ex- 
ploration, led  to  the  most  important  results.  He  was 
the  first  to  visit  the  country  of  Hauran — the  Bashan 
of  Scripture — lying  southeast  of  Damascus.  After 
this  he  passed  through  Moab,  east  of  the  Dead  Sea, 
and  under  the  pretence  of  making  a  pilgrimage  to 
the  tomb  of  Aaron  on  Mount  Hor,  discovered  the 
rock-hewn  palaces  and  temples  of  Petra,  which  had 
been  for  many  centuries  lost  to  the  world. 


30  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

Burckliardt  reached  Cairo  in  safety,  and  after 
vainly  waiting  some  months  for  an  opportunity  of 
joining  a  caravan  to  Fezzan,  determined  to  employ 
his  time  in  making  a  visit  to  Upper  Egypt  and  Nu- 
bia. Travelling  alone,  with  a  single  guide,  he  suc- 
ceeded in  reaching  the  frontiers  of  Dongola,  beyond 
which  it  was  then  impossible  to  proceed.  He  there- 
fore returned  to  Assouan,  and  joined  a  small  caravan, 
which  crossed  the  Nubian  Deser'r,  to  Ethiopia,  by 
very  nearly  the  same  route  which  Bruce  had  taken 
in  returning  from  Abyssinia.  He  remained  some 
time  at  Shendy,  the  capital  of  Ethiopia,  and  then, 
after  a  journey  of  three  months  across  the  country 
of  Takka,  which  had  never  before  been  visited  by  a 
European,  reached  the  port  of  Suakin,  on  the  Hed 
Sea.  Here  he  embarked  for  Jedda,  in  Arabia,  where 
he  arrived  in  July,  1814. 

By  this  time  his  Moslem  character  had  been  so 
completely  acquired  that  he  felt  himself  free  from 
suspicion.  Accordingly  he  decided  to  remain  and 
take  part  in  the  pilgrimage  to  Mecca  and  Medina, 
which  was  to  take  place  that  year,  in  November. 
His  funds,  however,  were  nearly  exhausted,  and  the 
Jedda  merchants  refused  to  honor  an  old  letter  of 
credit  upon  Cairo,  which  he  still  carried  with  him. 
In  this  emergency  he  wrote  to  the  Armenian  physi- 
cian of  Mohammed  Ali,  who  was  at  that  time  with 
the  Pasha  at  the  city  of  Tayf  (or  Tayef),  about  sev- 
enty miles  southeast  of  Mecca.  Mohammed  Ali 
happening  to  hear  of  this  application,  immediately 
sent  a  messenger  with  two  dromedaries,  to  summon 
Burckliardt  to  visit  him.  It  seems  most  probable 


BURCKHARDT  'S  JOURNEY  TO  MECCA        31 

that  the  Pasha  suspected  the  traveller  of  being  an 
English  spy,  and  wished  to  examine  him  personally. 
The  guide  had  orders  to  conduct  the  latter  to  Tayf 
by  a  circuitous  route,  instead  of  by  the  direct  road 
through  Mecca. 

Burckhardt  set  out  without  the  least  hesitation, 
taking  care  to  exhibit  no  suspicion  of  the  Pasha's 
object,  and  no  desire  to  see  the  holy  city.  But  the 
guide  himself  proposed  that  they  should  pass  through 
Mecca  in  order  to  save  travel ;  the  journey  was  hur- 
ried, however,  and  only  a  rapid  observation  was  pos- 
sible. Pushing  eastward,  they  reached,  on  the  third 
night,  the  Mountain  of  Kora,  which  divides  the  ter- 
ritory of  Mecca  from  that  of  Tayf.  Burckhardt  was 
astonished  at  the  change  in  the  scenery,  produced  by 
the  greater  elevation  of  the  interior  of  Arabia  above 

O 

the  sea.  His  description  is  a  striking  contrast  to  that 
of  the  scenery  about  Mecca. 

"  This,"  he  says,  "  is  the  most  beautiful  spot  in  the 
Hedjaz,  and  more  picturesque  and  delightful  than 
anything  I  had  seen  since  my  departure  from  Leba- 
non, in  Syria.  The  top  of  Djebel  Kora  is  flat,  but 
large  masses  of  granite  lie  scattered  over  it,  the  sur- 
face of  which,  like  that  of  the  granite  rocks  near  the 
second  cataract  of  the  Nile,  is  blackened  by  the  sun. 
Several  small  rivulets  descend  from  this  peak  and  ir- 
rigate the  plain,  which  is  covered  with  verdant  fields 
and  large  shady  trees  beside  the  granite  rocks.  To 
those  who  have  only  known  the  dreary  and  scorching 
sands  of  the  lower  country  of  the  Hedjaz,  this  scene 
is  as  surprising  as  the  keen  air  which  blows  here  is 
refreshing.  Many  of  the  fruit-trees  of  Europe  are 


32  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

found  here  :  figs,  apricots,  peaches,  apples,  the  Egyp- 
tian sycamore,  almonds,  pomegranates ;  but  particu- 
larly vines,  the  produce  of  which  is  of  the  best  qual- 
ity. After  having  passed  through  this  delightful 
district  for  about  half  an  hour,  just  as  the  sun  was 
rising,  when  every  leaf  and  blade  of  grass  was  covered 
with  a  balmy  dew,  and  every  tree  and  shrub  diffused 
a  fragrance  as  delicious  to  the  smell  as  was  the  land- 
scape to  the  eye,  I  halted  near  the  largest  of  the 
rivulets,  which,  although  not  more  than  two  paces 
across,  nourishes  upon  its  banks  a  green  alpine  turf, 
such  as  the  mighty  Nile,  with  all  its  luxuriance,  can 
never  produce  in  Egypt." 

Burckhardt  had  an  interview  with  Mohammed  AH 
on  the  evening  of  his  arrival  in  Tayf.  His  suspicions 
were  confirmed  :  the  Kadi  (Judge)  of  Mecca  and  two 
well-informed  teachers  of  the  Moslem  faith  were 
present,  and  although  the  Pasha  professed  to  accept 
Burckhard's  protestations  of  his  Moslem  character,  it 
was  very  evident  to  the  latter  that  he  was  cunningly 
tested  by  the  teachers.  Nevertheless,  when  the  inter- 
view was  over,  they  pronounced  him  to  be  not  only 
a  genuine  Moslem,  but  one  of  unusual  learning  and 
piety.  The  Pasha  was  forced  to  submit  to  this  de- 
cision, but  he  was  evidently  not  entirely  convinced, 
for  he  gave  orders  that  Burckhardt  should  be  the 
guest  of  his  physician,  in  order  that  his  speech  and 
actions  might  be  more  closely  observed.  Burckhardt 
took  a  thoroughly  Oriental  way  to  release  himself 
from  this  surveillance.  He  gave  the  physician  so 
much  trouble  that  the  latter  was  very  glad,  at  the  end 
of  ten  days,  to  procure  from  the  Pasha  permission  for 


BURCKHARDT 'S  JOURNEY  TO  MECCA         33 

him  to  return  to  Mecca,  in  order  to  get  rid  of  him. 
Bnrckhardt  thereupon  travelled  to  the  holy  city  in 
company  with  the  Kadi  himself. 

At  the  valley  of  Mohram,  nearly  a  day's  journey 
from  Mecca,  Burckhardt  changed  his  garb  for  the  ih- 
ram,  or  costume  worn  by  the  pilgrims  during  their 
devotional  services.  It  consists  of  two  pieces  of 
either  linen,  cotton,  or  woollen  cloth  ;  one  is  wrapped 
around  the  loins,  while  the  other  is  thrown  over  the 
shoulder  in  such  a  manner  as  to  leave  the  right  arm 
entirely  bare.  On  reaching  Mecca  he  obeyed  the 
Moslem  injunction  of  first  visiting  the  great  mosque 
and  performing  all  the  requisite  ceremonies  before 
transacting  any  worldly  business.  When  this  had 
been  accomplished  he  made  a  trip  to  Jedda  for  the 
purpose  of  procuring  supplies,  which  were  necessary 
for  the  later  pilgrimage  to  Medina,  and  then  estab- 
lished himself  comfortably  in  an  unfrequented  part 
of  Mecca,  to  await  the  arrival  of  the  caravan  of  pil- 
grims from  Damascus. 

Burckhardt  describes  the  great  mosque  of  Mecca, 
which  is  called  the  Beit  Allah,  or  "  House  of  God," 
as  "  a  large  quadrangular  building,  in  the  centre  of 
which  stands  the  Kaaba,  an  oblong,  massive  structure 
eighteen  paces  in  length,  fourteen  in  breadth,  and 
from  thirty-five  to  forty  feet  in  height.  It  is  con> 
structed  of  gray  Mecca  stone,  in  large  blocks  of  dif- 
ferent sizes,  joined  together  in  a  very  rough  manner, 
and  with  bad  cement.  At  the  northeast  corner  of 
the  Kaaba,  near  the  door,  is  the  famous  Black  Stone, 
which  forms  part  of  the  sharp  angle  of  the  building 
at  four  or  five  feet  above  the  ground.  It  is  an  irreg- 


34  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

ular  oval  of  about  seven  inches  in  diameter,  with  an 
undulating  surface,  composed  of  about  a  dozen  smaller 
stones  of  different  sizes  and  shapes,  well  joined  to- 
gether with  a  small  quantity  of  cement,  and  perfectly 
smoothed.  It  is  very  difficult  to  determine  accurately 
the  quality  of  this  stone,  which  has  been  worn  to  its 
present  surface  by  the  millions  of  touches  and  kisses 
it  has  received.  It  appears  to  me  like  a  lava,  contain- 
ing several  small  extraneous  particles.  Its  color  is 
now  a  deep  reddish  brown,  approaching  to  black.  It 
is  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  a  border,  composed  of  a 
substance  which  I  took  to  be  a  close  cement  of  pitch 
and  gravel ;  this  border  serves  to  support  its  detached 
pieces.  Both  the  border  and  the  stone  itself  are  en- 
circled by  a  silver  band." 

Toward  the  end  of  November  the  caravans  from 
Syria  and  Egypt  arrived,  and  at  the  same  time  Mo- 
hammed Ali,  so  that  the  hadj,  or  pilgrimage,  as- 
sumed a  character  of  unusual  pomp  and  parade. 
The  Pasha's  ihram  consisted  of  two  of  the  finest 
Cashmere  shawls  ;  the  horses  and  camels  belonging 
to  himself  and  his  large  retinue,  with  those  of  the 
Pasha  of  Damascus  and  other  Moslem  princes,  were 
decorated  with  the  most  brilliant  trappings.  On  ar- 
riving, the  pilgrims  tfid  not  halt  in  Mecca,  but  con- 
tinued their  march  to  the  Sacred  Mountain  of  Arafat, 
to  the  eastward  of  the  city.  A  camp,  several  miles 
in  extent,  was  formed  upon  the  plain,  at  the  foot  of 
the  mountain,  and  here  Burckhardt  joined  the  im- 
mense crowd,  in  order  to  take  his  share  in  the  cere- 
monies of  the  following  day. 

In  the  morning  he  climbed  to  the  top  of  Arafat, 


BURCKUARDT'S  JOURNEY  TO  MECCA        35 

which  is  an  irregular,  isolated  mass  of  granite,  rising 
only  about  two  hundred  feet  above  the  plain.  Over- 
looking thus  the  entire  camp,  he  counted  more  than 
three  thousand  tents,  and  estimated  that  at  least 
twenty-five  thousand  camels  and  seventy  thousand 
human  beings  were  there  collected  together.  "  The 
scene,"  he  says,  "  was  one  of  the  most  extraordinary 
which  the  earth  affords.  Every  pilgrim  issued  from 
his  tent  to  walk  over  the  plain  and  take  a  view  of  the 
busy  crowds  assembled  there.  Long  streets  of  tents, 
fitted  up  as  bazaars,  furnished  them  writh  all  kinds  of 
provisions.  The  Syrian  and  Egyptian  cavalry  were 
exercised  by  their  chiefs  early  in  the  morning,  while 
thousands  of  camels  were  seen  feeding  upon  the  dry 
shrubs  of  the  plain  all  around  the  camp.  The  Syrian 
pilgrims  were  encamped  upon  the  south  and  south- 
west sides  of  the  mountain  ;  the  Egyptians  upon  the 
southeast.  Mohammed  Ali,  and  Soleyman,  Pasha  of 
Damascus,  as  well  as  several  of  their  followers,  had 
very  handsome  tents  ;  but  the  most  magnificent  of  all 
was  that  of  the  wife  of  Mohammed  Ali,  the  mother 
of  Toossoon  Pasha  and  Ibrahim  Pasha,  who  had 
lately  arrived  from  Cairo  with  a  truly  royal  equipage, 
five  hundred  camels  being  necessary  to  transport  her 
baggage  from  Jedda  to  Mecca.  Her  tent  was  in  fact 
an  encampment,  consisting  of  a  dozen  tents  of  differ- 
ent sizes,  inhabited  by  her  women ;  the  whole  en- 
closed by  a  wall  of  linen  cloth,  eight  hundred  paces 
in  circuit,  the  single  entrance  to  which  was  guarded 
by  eunuchs  in  splendid  dresses.  The  beautiful  em- 
broidery on  the  exterior  of  this  linen  palace,  with  the 
various  colors  displayed  in  every  part  of  it,  consti- 


36  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

tuted  an  object  which  reminded  me  of  some  descrip- 
tions iu  the  Arabian  tales  of  the  Thousand  and  One 
Nights." 

Burckhardt  also  gives  an  interesting  description  of 
the  sermon  preached  on  Mount  Arafat,  the  hearing 
of  which  is  an  indispensable  part  of  the  pilgrimage : 
unless  a  person  is  at  least  present  during  its  delivery, 
lie  is  not  entitled  to  the  name  of  hadji,  or  pilgrim. 
The  great  encampment  broke  up  at  three  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon,  and  Mount  Arafat  was  soon  covered 
from  top  to  bottom.  "  The  two  Pashas,  with  their 
whole  cavalry  drawn  up  in  two  squadrons  behind 
them,  took  their  posts  in  the  rear  of  the  deep  line  of 
camels  of  the  pilgrims,  to  which  those  of  the  people 
of  Hedjaz  were  also  joined  ;  and  here  they  waited  in 
solemn  and  respectful  silence  the  conclusion  of  the 
sermon.  Farther  removed  from  the  preacher  was 
the  Scherif  of  Mecca,  with  his  small  body  of  soldiers, 
distinguished  by  several  green  standards  carried  be- 
fore him.  The  two  mahmals,  or  holy  camels,  which 
carry  on  their  backs  the  high  structure  which  serves 
as  the  banner  of  their  respective  caravans,  made  way 
with  difficulty  through  the  ranks  of  camels  that  en- 
circled the  southern  and  eastern  sides  of  the  hill,  op- 
posite to  the  preacher,  and  took  their  station,  sur- 
rounded by  their  guards,  directly  under  the  platform 
in  front  of  him.  The  preacher,  who  is  usually  the 
Kadi  of  Mecca,  was  mounted  upon  a  finely  capari- 
soned camel,  which  had  been  led  up  the  steps :  it  was 
traditionally  said  that  Mohammed  was  always  seated 
when  he  addressed  his  followers,  a  practice  in  which 
he  was  imitated  by  all  the  Caliphs  who  came  to  the 


BURCKIIARDT'S  JOURNEY  TO  MECCA        37 

pilgrimage,  and  who  from  this  place  addressed  their 
subjects  in  person.  The  Turkish  gentleman  of  Con- 
stantinople, however,  unused  to  camel-riding,  could 
not  keep  his  seat  so  well  as  the  hardy  Bedouin 
prophet,  and  the  camel  becoming  unruly,  he  was 
soon  obliged  to  alight  from  it.  He  read  his  sermon 
from  a  book  in  Arabic,  which  he  held  in  his  hands. 
At  intervals  of  every  four  or  five  minutes  he  paused 
and  stretched  forth  his  arms  to  implore  blessings 
from  above,  while  the  assembled  multitudes  around 
and  before  him  waved  the  skirts  of  their  ifirams 
over  their  heads  and  rent  the  air  with  shouts  of 
Lebeyk,  Allah,  huma  lebeyk  ! — '  Here  we  are  at  Thy 
bidding,  oh  God  ! '  During  the  waving  of  the  ilirams 
the  sides  of  the  mountain,  thickly  crowded  as  it  was 
by  the  people  in  their  white  garments,  had  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  cataract  of  water  ;  while  the  green 
umbrellas,  with  which  several  thousand  pilgrims  sit- 
ting on  their  camels  below  were  provided,  bore  some 
resemblance  to  a  verdant  plain." 

Burckhardt  performed  all  the  remaining  ceremo- 
nies required  of  a  pilgrim  ;  but  these  have  been 
more  recently  described  and  with  greater  minuteness 
by  Captain  Burton.  He  remained  in  Mecca  for  an- 
other month,  unsuspected  and  unmolested,  and  com- 
pleted his  observations  of  a  place  which  the  Arabs 
believed  they  had  safely  sealed  against  all  Christian 
travellers. 

Leaving  Mecca  with  a  small  caravan  of  pilgrims, 
on  January  15,  1815,  he  reached  Medina  after  a 
journey  of  thirteen  days,  during  which  he  narrowly 
escaped  being  slain  by  the  Bedouins. 


38  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

Burckhardt  was  attacked  with  fever  soon  after  his 
arrival  at  Medina,  and  remained  there  three  months. 
The  ceremonies  prescribed  for  the  pilgrims  who  visit 
the  city  are  brief  and  unimportant ;  but  the  descrip- 
tion of  the  tomb  of  Mohammed  is  of  sufficient  inter- 
est to  quote.     "  The  mausoleum,"  lie  says,  "  stands 
at  the  southeastern  corner  of  the  principal  mosque, 
and  is  protected  from  the  too  near  approach  of  visi- 
tors by  an  iron  railing,  painted  green,  about    two- 
thirds  the  height  of    the   pillars   of   the   colonnade 
which  runs  around  the  interior  of  the  mosque.     The 
railing  is  of  good  workmanship,  in  imitation  of  fili- 
gree, and  is  interwoven  with  open-worked  inscrip- 
tions of  yellow  bronze,  supposed  by  the  vulgar  to  be  of 
gold,  and  of  so  close  a  texture  that  no  view  can  be  ob- 
tained of  the  interior  except  by  several  small  windows, 
about  six  inches  square,  which  are  placed  in  the  four 
sides  of  the  railing,  about  five  feet  above  the  ground. 
On   the   south   side,   where   are   the   two    principal 
windows,  before  which  the  devout  stand  when  pray- 
ing, the  railing  is  plated  with  silver,  and  the  common 
inscription — '  There  is  no  god  but  God,  the  Evident 
Truth  ! ' — is  wrought  in  silver  letters  around  the  win- 
dows.    The  tomb  itself,  as  well  as  those  of  Abu  Bekr 
and  Omar,  which  stand  close  to  it,  is  concealed  from 
the  public  gaze  by  a  curtain  of  rich  silk  brocade  of 
various  colors,  interwoven  with  silver  flowers  and  ara- 
besques, with  inscriptions  in  characters  of  gold  run- 
ning across  the  midst  of  it,  like  that  of  the  covering 
of  the  Kaaba.     Behind  this  curtain,  which,  according 
to  the  historian  of  the  city,  was  formerly  changed 
every  six  years,  and  is  now  renewed  by  the  Porte 


BURCKHARDT'S  JOURNEY  TO  MECCA        39 

whenever  the  old  one  is  decayed,  or  when  a  new  Sul- 
tan ascends  the  throne,  none  but  the  chief  eunuchs, 
the  attendants  of  the  mosque,  are  permitted  to  enter. 
This  holy  sanctuary  once  served,  as  the  temple  of 
Delphi  did  among  the  Greeks,  as  the  public  treasury 
of  the  nation.  Here  the  money,  jewels,  and  other 
precious  articles  of  the  people  of  iledjaz  were  kept 
in  chests,  or  suspended  on  silken  ropes.  Among 
these  was  a  copy  of  the  Koran  in  Cufic  characters ;  a 
brilliant  star  set  in  diamonds  and  pearls,  which  was 
suspended  directly  over  the  Prophet's  tomb ;  with 
all  sorts  of  vessels  filled  with  jewels,  earrings,  brace- 
lets, necklaces,  and  other  ornaments  sent  as  presents 
from  all  parts  of  the  empire.  Most  of  these  articles 
were  carried  away  by  the  Wahabees  when  they 
sacked  and  plundered  the  sacred  cities." 

Burckhardt  reached  Yambo  (the  port  of  Medina), 
at  the  end  of  April,  and,  after  running  great  danger 
from  the  plague,  succeeded  in  obtaining  passage  to 
the  Peninsula  of  Sinai,  whence  he  slowly  made  his 
way  back  to  Cairo.  Here  he  waited  for  two  years, 
vainly  hoping  for  the  departure  of  a  caravan  for 
Central  Africa,  and  meanwhile  assisting  Belzoni  in 
his  explorations  at  Thebes.  In  October,  1817,  he 
died,  and  the  people  who  knew  him  only  as  Shekh 
Abdallah,  laid  his  body  in  the  Moslem  burying- 
ground,  on  the  eastern  side  of  Cairo. 


CHAPTER   V. 

WELLSTED'S  EXPLORATIONS  IN  OMAN 

PERHAPS  the  most  satisfactory  account  of  the 
interior  of  Oman — the  southeastern  portion 
of  Arabia — has  been  given  by  Lieutenant  Wellsted. 
"While  in  the  Indian  Navy  lie  was  employed  for  sev- 
eral years  in  surveying  the  southern  and  eastern 
coasts  of  Arabia.  Having  become  somewhat  famil- 
iar with  the  language  and  habits  of  the  people,  he 
conceived  the  idea  of  undertaking  a  journey  to  Der- 
reyeh,  in  Nedjed,  the  capital  of  the  Wahabees,  which 
no  traveller  had  then  reached.  The  governor  of 
Bombay  gave  him  the  necessary  leave  of  absence, 
and  he  landed  at  Muscat  in  November,  1835. 

The  Sultan,  Sayid  Saeed,  received  the  young  Eng- 
lishman with  great  kindness,  promised  him  all  possi- 
ble aid  in  his  undertaking,  and  even  arranged  for 
him  the  route  to  be  travelled.  He  was  to  sail  first  to 
the  port  of  Sur,  south  of  Muscat,  thence  penetrate 
to  the  country  inhabited  by  the  Beni-Abu-Ali  tribe, 
and  make  his  way  northward  to  the  Jebel  Akhdar, 
or  Green  Mountains,  which  were  described  to  him  as 
lofty,  fruitful,  and  populous.  Having  thus  visited 
the  most  interesting  portions  of  Oman,  he  was  then 
to  be  at  liberty,  if  the  way  was  open,  to  take  the 
northern  route  through  the  Desert  toward  Nedjed. 


WE  LISTED' 8  EXPLORATIONS  IN  OMAN      41 

The  Sultan  presented  him  with  a  horse  and  sword, 
together  with  letters  to  the  governors  of  the  districts 
through  which  he  should  pass. 

At  Sur,  which  is  a  small,  insignificant  village,  with 
a  good  harbor,  the  mountains  of  the  interior  ap- 
proach the  sea,  but  they  are  here  divided  by  a  val- 
ley which  furnishes  easy  access  to  the  country  be- 
yond them.  After  a  journey  of  four  days  Wellsted 
reached  the  tents  of  the  tribe  of  Ben-Abu-Ali,  at  a 
point  to  which  the  English  troops  had  penetrated  in 
1821,  to  punish  the  tribe  for  acts  of  piracy.  Al- 
though no  Englishman  had  visited  them  since  that 
time,  they  received  him  with  every  demonstration 
of  friendship.  Sheep  were  killed,  a  feast  prepared, 
a  guard  of  honor  stationed  around  the  tent,  and,  in 
the  evening,  all  the  men  of  the  encampment,  250  in 
number,  assembled  for  the  purpose  of  exhibiting 
their  war-dance.  Wellsted  thus  describes  the  scene : 
"  They  formed  a  circle  within  which  five  of  their 
number  entered.  After  walking  leisurely  around 
for  some  time,  each  challenged  one  of  the  spectators 
by  striking  him  gently  with  the  flat  of  his  sword. 
His  adversary  immediately  leaped  forth  and  a 
feigned  combat  ensued.  They  have  but  two  cuts, 
one  directly  downward,  at  the  head,  the  other  hori- 
zontal, across  the  legs.  They  parry  neither  with 
the  sword  nor  shield,  but  avoid  the  blows  by  leaping 
or  bounding  backward.  The  blade  of  their  sword  is 
three  feet  in  length,  thin,  double-edged,  and  as  sharp 
as  a  razor.  As  they  carry  it  upright  before  them, 
by  a  peculiar  motion  of  the  wrist  they  cause  it  to  vi- 
brate in  a  very  remarkable  manner,  which  has  a  sin- 


42  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

gularly  striking  effect  when  they  are  assembled  in 
any  considerable  number.  It  was  part  of  the  enter- 
tainment to  fire  off  their  matchlocks  under  the  legs 
of  some  one  of  the  spectators  who  appeared  too  in- 
tent on  watching  the  game  to  observe  their  approach, 
and  any  signs  of  alarm  which  incautiously  escaped 
the  individual  added  greatly  to  their  mirth." 

In  the  evening  a  party  of  the  Geneba  Bedouins 
came  in  from  the  desert,  accompanied  by  one  of  their 
chiefs.  The  latter  readily  consented  that  Wellsted 
should  accompany  him  on  a  short  journey  into  his 
country,  and  they  set  out  the  following  morning. 
It  was  December,  and  the  morning  air  was  cold  and 
pure ;  the  party  swept  rapidly  across  the  broad, 
barren  plains,  the  low  hills,  dotted  with  acacia  trees, 
and  the  stony  channels  which  carried  the  floods  of 
the  rainy  season  to  the  sea.  After  a  day's  journey 
of  forty-four  miles  they  encamped  near  some  brack- 
ish wells.  "You  wished,"  said  the  chief  to  Well- 
sted, "  to  see  the  country  of  the  Bedouins  ;  this"  he 
continued,  striking  his  spear  into  the  firm  sand,  "  this 
is  the  country  of  the  Bedouins."  Neither  he  nor  his 
companions  wore  any  clothing  except  a  single  cloth 
around  the  loins.  Their  hair,  which  is  permitted  to 
grow  until  it  reaches  the  waist,  and  is  usually  well 
plastered  with  grease,  is  the  only  covering  which 
protects  their  heads  from  the  sun. 

The  second  day's  journey  brought  Wellsted  to  a 
small  encampment,  where  the  chief's  wives  were 
abiding.  They  conversed  with  him,  unveiled,  gave 
him  coffee,  milk,  and  dates,  and  treated  him  with  all 
the  hospitality  which  their  scanty  means  allowed. 


WELLSTED'S  EXPLORATIONS  IN  OMAN      43 

The  Beni  Geneba  tribe  numbers  about  three  thou- 
sand five  hundred  fighting  men  ;  they  are  spread 
over  a  large  extent  of  Southern  Arabia,  and  are 
divided  into  two  distinct  classes — those  who  live  by 
fishing,  and  those  who  follow  pastoral  pursuits.  A 
race  of  fishermen,  however,  is  found  on  all  parts  of 
the  Arabian  coast.  In  some  districts  they  are  con- 
sidered a  separate  and  degraded  people,  with  whom 
the  genuine  Bedouins  will  neither  eat^  associate,  nor 
intermarry ;  but  among  the  Beni  Geneba  this  dis- 
tinction does  not  exist. 

Wellsted  might  have  penetrated  much  farther  to 
the  westward  under  the  protection  of  this  tribe,  and 
was  tempted  to  do  so  ;  but  it  seemed  more  important 
to  move  northward,  and  get  upon  some  one  of  the 
caravan  tracks  leading  into  Central  Arabia.  He 
therefore  returned  to  the  camp  of  the  Beni-Abu-Ali, 
where  the  friendly  people  would  hardly  suffer  him  to 
depart,  promising  to  build  a  house  for  him  if  he 
would  remain  a  month  with  them.  For  two  days  he 
travelled  northward,  over  an  undulating  region  of 
sand,  sometimes  dotted  with  stunted  acacias,  and 
reached  a  district  called  Bediah,  consisting  of  seven 
villages,  each  seated  in  its  little  oasis  of  date  palms. 
One  striking  feature  of  these  towns  is  their  low  situ- 
ation. They  are  erected  in  artificial  hollows,  which 
have  been  excavated  to  the  depth  of  six  or  eight  feet. 
Water  is  then  conveyed  to  them  in  subterranean 
channels  from  wells  in  the  neighboring  hills,  and  the 
soil  is  so  fertile  that  irrigation  suffices  to  produce  the 
richest  harvest  of  fruit  and  vegetables.  A  single 
step  carries  the  traveller  from  the  glare  and  sand  of 


44  TRA  VELS  IN  ARABIA 

the  desert  into  a  spot  teeming  with  the  most  luxuri- 
ant vegetation,  and  embowered  by  lofty  trees,  whose 
foliage  keeps  out  the  sun.  "  Some  idea,"  says  Well- 
sted,  "  may  be  formed  of  the  density  of  this  shade 
by  the  effect  it  produces  in  lessening  the  terrestrial 
radiation.  A  Fahrenheit  thermometer  which  with- 
in the  house  stood  at  55°,  six  inches  from  the  ground 
fell  to  45°.  From  this  cause  and  the  abundance  of 
water  they  are  always  saturated  with  damp,  and  even 
in  the  heat  of  the  day  possess  a  clammy  coldness." 

On  approaching  Ibrah,  the  next  large  town  to  the 
north,  the  country  became  hilly,  and  the  valleys  be- 
tween the  abrupt  limestone  ranges  increased  in  fer- 
tility. Wellsted  thus  describes  the  place  :  "  There 
are  some  handsome  houses  in  Ibrah  ;  but  the  style 
of  building  is  quite  peculiar  to  this  part  of  Arabia. 
To  avoid  the  damp  and  catch  an  occasional  beam  of 
the  sun  above  the  trees,  they  are  usually  very  lofty. 
A  parapet  surrounding  the  upper  part  is  turreted, 
and  on  some  of  the  largest  houses  guns  are  mounted. 
The  windows  and  doors  have  the  Saracenic  arch,  and 
every  part  of  the  building  is  profusely  decorated  with 
ornaments  of  stucco  in  bas-relief,  some  in  very  good 
taste.  The  doors  are  also  cased  with  brass,  and  have 
rings  and  other  massive  ornaments  of  the  same  metal. 

"Ibrah  is  justly  renowned  for  the  beauty  and  fair- 
ness of  its  females.  Those  we  met  on  the  streets 
evinced  but  little  shyness,  and  on  my  return  to  the 
tent  I  found  it  filled  with  them.  They  were  in  high 
glee  at  all  they  saw  ;  every  box  I  had  was  turned 
over  for  their  inspection,  and  whenever  I  attempted 
to  remonstrate  against  their  proceedings  they  stopped 


WELLSTED' S  EXPLORATIONS  IN  OMAN      45 

my  mouth  with  their  hands.  With  such  damsels 
there  was  nothing  left  but  to  laugh  and  look  on." 

Travelling  two  days  farther  in  the  northward, 
Wellsted  reached  the  town  of  Semmed,  where  he 
found  a  fine  stream  of  running  water.  The  Shekh's 
house  was  a  large  fort,  the  rooms  of  which  were  spa- 
cious and  lofty,  but  destitute  of  furniture.  Sus- 
pended on  pegs  protruding  from  the  walls  were  the 
saddles,  cloths,  and  harness  of  the  horses  and  camels. 
The  ceilings  were  painted  in  various  devices,  but  the 
floors  were  of  mud,  and  only  partially  covered  with 
mats.  Lamps  formed  of  shells,  a  species  of  murex, 
were  suspended  by  lines  from  the  ceiling.  On  re- 
turning to  the  tent,  after  this  visit,  the  traveller 
found,  as  usual,  a  great  crowd  collected  there,  but 
kept  in  order  by  a  boy  about  twelve  years  of  age. 
He  had  taken  possession  of  the  tent,  as  its  guardian, 
and  allowed  none  to  enter  without  his  permission. 
He  carried  a  sword  longer  than  himself,  and  also  a 
stick,  with  which  he  occasionally  laid  about  him.  It 
is  a  part  of  the  Arab  system  of  education  to  cease 
treating  boys  as  children  at  a  very  early  age,  and 
they  acquire,  therefore,  the  gravity  and  demeanor  of 
men. 

Beyond  this  place  Wellsted  was  accompanied  by  a 
guard  of  seventy  armed  men,  for  the  country  was 
considered  insecure.  For  two  days  and  a  half  he 
passed  many  small  villages,  separated  by  desert 
tracts,  and  then  reached  the  town  of  Minna,  near  the 
foot  of  the  Green  Mountains.  "  Minna,"  he  says, 
"  differs  from  the  other  towns  in  having  its  cultiva- 
tion in  the  open  fields.  As  we  crossed  these,  with 


46  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

lofty  almond,  citron,  and  orange  trees  yielding  a  de- 
licious fragrance  on  either  hand,  exclamations  of  as- 
tonishment and  admiration  burst  from  us.  '  Is  this 
Arabia  ? '  we  said  ;  '  this  the  country  we  have  looked 
on  heretofore  as  a  desert  ? '  Verdant  fields  of  grain 
and  sugar-cane  stretching  along  for  miles  are  before 
us  ;  streams  of  water,  flowing  in  all  directions,  inter- 
sect our  path  ;  and  the  happy  and  contented  appear- 
ance of  the  peasants  agreeably  helps  to  fill  up  the 
smiling  picture.  The  atmosphere  was  delightfully 
clear  and  pure ;  and,  as  we  trotted  joyously  along, 
giving  or  returning  the  salutations  of  peace  or  wel- 
come, I  could  almost  fancy  that  we  had  at  last  reached 
that  '  Araby  the  Blessed '  which  I  had  been  accus- 
tomed to  regard  as  existing  only  in  the  fictions  of  our 
poets. 

"  Minna  is  an  old  town,  said  to  have  been  erected 
at  the  period  of  Narhirvan's  invasion ;  but  it  bears, 
in  common  with  the  other  towns,  no  indications  of 
antiquity  ;  its  houses  are  lofty,  but  do  not  differ  from 
those  of  Ibrah  or  Semmed.  There  are  two  square 
towers,  about  one  hundred  and  seventy  feet  in  height, 
nearly  in  the  centre  of  the  town ;  at  their  bases  the 
breadth  of  the  wall  is  not  more  than  two  feet,  and 
neither  side  exceeds  in  length  eight  yards.  It  is 
therefore  astonishing,  considering  the  rudeness  of  the 
materials  (they  have  nothing  but  unhewn  stones  and 
a  coarse  but  apparently  strong  cement),  that,  with 
proportions  so  meagre,  they  should  have  been  able  to 
carry  them  to  their  present  elevation.  The  guards, 
who  are  constantly  on  the  lookout,  ascend  by  means 
of  a  rude  ladder,  formed  by  placing  bars  of  wood 


WELLSTED'S  EXPLORATIONS  IN  OMAN      47 

in  a  diagonal  direction  in  one  of  the  side  angles 
within  the  interior  of  the  building." 

The  important  town  of  Neswah,  at  the  .western 
base  of  the  Jebel  Akdar,  or  Green  Mountains,  is  a 
short  day's  journey  from  Minna.  On  arriving  there 
"VVellsted  was  received  in  a  friendly  manner  by  the 
governor,  and  lodged,  for  the  first  time  since  leaving 
Muscat,  in  a  substantial  house.  He  was  allowed  to 
visit  the  fortress,  which,  in  that  region,  is  considered 
impregnable.  He  was  admitted  by  an  iron  door  of 
great  strength,  and,  ascending  through  a  vaulted  pas- 
sage, passed  through  six  others  equally  massive  be- 
fore reaching  the  summit.  The  form  of  the  fort  is 
circular,  its  diameter  being  nearly  one  hundred  yards, 
and  to  the  height  of  ninety  feet  it  has  been  filled  up 
by  a  solid  mass  of  earth  and  stones.  Seven  or  eight 
wells  have  been  bored  through  this,  from  several  of 
which  they  obtain  a  plentiful  supply  of  water,  while 
those  which  are  dry  serve  as  magazines  for  their  shot 
and  ammunition.  A  wall  forty  feet  high  surrounds 
the  summit,  making  the  whole  height  of  the  fortress 
one  hundred  and  fifty  feet.  It  is  a  work  of  extraor- 
dinary labor,  and  from  its  appearance  probably  of 
considerable  antiquity  ;  but  no  certain  intelligence 
could  be  obtained  on  this  point. 

On  Christmas-day  Wellsted  left  Neswah  on  an 
excursion  to  the  celebrated  Green  Mountains.  The 
Shekh  of  Tanuf,  the  first  village  where  he  encamped, 
endeavored  in  every  possible  way  to  dissuade  him 
from  undertaking  the  journey  ;  but  his  resolute  man- 
ner and  a  few  gifts  overcame  the  difficulty.  Mounted 
on  strong  asses,  the  party  commenced  ascending  a 


48  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

precipitous  ridge  by  a  track  so  narrow  that  they 
seemed  at  times  to  be  suspended  over  precipices  of 
unknown  depth.  On  the  second  day  they  reached 
the  village  of  Seyk.  "  By  means  of  steps,"  he  says, 
"  we  descended  the  steep  side  of  a  narrow  glen,  about 
four  hundred  feet  in  depth,  passing  in  our  progress 
several  houses  perched  on  crags  or  other  acclivities, 
their  walls  built  up  in  some  places  so  as  to  appear  but 
a  continuation  of  the  precipice.  These  small,  snug, 
compact-looking  dwellings  have  been  erected  by  the 
natives  one  above  the  other,  so  that  their  appearance 
from  the  bottom  of  the  glen,  hanging  as  it  were  in 
mid-air,  affords  to  the  spectator  a  most  novel  and  in- 
teresting picture.  Here  we  found,  amid  a  great  va- 
riety of  fruits  and  trees,  pomegranates,  citrons,  al- 
monds, nutmegs,  and  walnuts,  with  coffee-bushes  and 
vines.  In  the  summer,  these  together  must  yield  a 
delicious  fragrance  ;  but  it  was  now  winter,  and  they 
were  leafless.  Water  flows  in  many  places  from  the 
upper  part  of  the  hills,  and  is  received  at  the  lower 
in  small  reservoirs,  whence  it  is  distributed  all  over 
the  face  of  the  country.  From  the  narrowness  of 
this  glen,  and  the  steepness  of  its  sides,  only  the 
lower  part  of  it  receives  the  warmth  of  the  sun's  rays 
for  a  short  period  of  the  day ;  and  even  at  the  time 
of  our  arrival  we  found  it  so  chilly,  that,  after  a  short 
halt,  we  were  very  happy  to  continue  our  journey." 

They  halted  for  the  night  at  a  village  called  Shirazi, 
in  the  heart  of  the  mountains,  the  highest  peaks  of 
which  here  reach  a  height  of  6,000  feet  above  the  sea. 
The  inhabitants  belong  to  a  tribe  called  the  Beni 
Ryam,  who  are  considered  infidels  by  the  people  of 


WE  LISTED' S  EXPLORATIONS  IN  OMAN      49 

N  es  wah  because  they  cultivate  the  grape  for  the  pur- 
pose of  making  wine.  The  next  day  the  Arabs  who 
formed  Wellsted'b  escort  left  him,  and  he  had  con- 
siderable difficulty  in  returning  to  Xeswah  by  another 
road.  From  this  point  he  had  intended  starting  for 
Central  Arabia,  but  the  funds  which  he  expected  did 
not  arrive  from  Muscat,  the  British  agent  there  hav- 
ing refused  to  make  the  necessary  advances.  Well- 
sted  thereupon  applied  directly  to  the  Sultan,  Sayd 
Saeed,  for  a  loan,  and  while  waiting  an  answer,  made 
an  excursion  into  the  desert,  fifty  miles  to  the  west- 
ward of  Neswah.  With  a  view  to  familiarize  him- 
self with  the  manners  and  domestic  life  of  the  Bed- 
ouins, he  mixed  with  them  during  this  trip,  living 
and  sleeping  in  their  huts  and  tents.  On  all  occa- 
sions he  was  treated  with  kindness,  and  often  with  a 
degree  of  hospitality  above  rather  than  below  the 
means  of  those  who  gave  it. 

Although  the  Sultan  of  Muscat  was  willing  to  fur- 

o  o 

nish  the  necessary  supplies,  and  arrangements  had 
been  made  which  Wellsted  felt  sure  would  have 
enabled  him  to  penetrate  into  the  interior,  he  was 
prevented  from  going  forward  by  a  violent  fever, 
from  the  effects  of  which  he  remained  insensible  for 
five  days.  Recovering  sufficiently  to  travel,  his  only 
course  was  to  return  at  once  to  the  sea-coast,  and  on 
January  22,  1836,  he  left  Neswah  for  the  little  port 
of  Sib,  where  he  arrived  after  a  slow  journey  of  eight 
days.  He  relates  the  following  incident,  which  oc- 
curred at  Semayel,  the  half-way  station  :  "Weary  and 
faint  from  the  fatigue  of  the  day's  journey,  in  order 
to  enjoy  the  freshness  of  the  evening  breeze  I  had 


50  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

my  carpet  spread  beneath  a  tree.  An  Arab  passing 
by  paused  to  gaze  upon  me,  and,  touched  by  my  con- 
dition and  the  melancholy  which  was  depicted  on  my 
countenance,  he  proffered  the  salutation  of  peace, 
pointed  to  the  crystal  stream  which  sparkled  at  my 
feet,  and  said :  '  Look,  friend,  for  running  water 
maketh  the  heart  glad ! '  With  his  hands  folded 
over  his  breast,  that  mute  but  most  graceful  of 
Eastern  salutations,  he  bowed  and  passed  on.  I 
was  in  a  situation  to  estimate  sympathy ;  and  so 
much  of  that  feeling  was  exhibited  in  the  manner 
of  this  son  of  the  desert,  that  I  have  never  since 
recurred  to  the  incident,  trifling  as  it  is,  without 
emotion." 

A  rest  of  four  weeks  at  Sib  recruited  the  traveller's 
strength,  and  he  determined  to  make  another  effort 
to  reach  Central  Arabia.  He  therefore  applied  to 
the  Sultan  for  an  escort  to  Bireimah,  the  first  town 
of  the  Wahabees,  beyond  the  northern  frontier  of 
Oman.  The  Sultan  sent  a  guide,  but  objected  to  the 
undertaking,  as  word  had  just  arrived  that  the  Waha- 
bees were  preparing  to  invade  his  territory.  Well- 
sted,  however,  was  not  willing  to  give  up  his  design 
without  at  least  making  the  attempt.  He  followed 
the  coast,  north  of  Muscat,  as  far  as  the  port  of  Su- 
weik,  where  he  was  most  hospitably  received  by  the 
wife  of  the  governor,  Seyd  Hilal,  who  was  absent. 
"A  huge  meal,  consisting  of  a  great  variety  of  dishes, 
sufficient  for  thirty  or  forty  people,  was  prepared  in 
his  kitchen,  and  brought  to  us,  on  large  copper  dishes, 
twice  a  day  during  the  time  we  remained.  On  these 
occasions  there  was  a  great  profusion  of  blue  and  gilt 


WELLSTED' S  EXPLORATIONS  IN  OMAN      51 

chinaware,  cut  glass  dishes,  and  decanters  containing 
sherbet  instead  of  wine." 

"  The  Shekh,"  Wellsted  continues,  «  after  his  re- 
turn, usually  spent  the  evening  with  us.  On  one 
occasion  he  was  accompanied  by  a  professional  story- 
teller, who  appeared  to  be  a  great  favorite  with  him. 
'  Whenever  I  feel  melancholy  or  out  of  order,'  said 
he,  '  I  send  for  this  man,  who  very  soon  restores  me 
to  my  wonted  spirits.'  From  the  falsetto  tone  in 
which  the  story  was  chanted,  I  could  not  follow  the 
thread  of  the  tale,  and,  upon  my  mentioning  this  to 
him,  the  Shekh  very  kindly  sent  me  the  manuscript, 
of  which  the  reciter  had  availed  himself.  With  lit- 
tle variation  I  found  it  to  be  the  identical  Sindbad  the 
Sailor,  so  familiar  to  the  readers  of  the  Arabian 
Nights.  I  little  thought,  when  first  I  perused  these 
fascinating  tales  in  my  own  language,  that  it  would 
ever  be  my  lot  to  listen  to  the  original  in  a  spot  so 
congenial  and  so  remote." 

Leaving  Suweik  on  March  4th,  Wellsted  was 
deserted  by  his  camel-men  at  the  end  of  the  first 
day's  march,  but  succeeded  in  engaging  others  at  a 
neighboring  village.  The  road,  which  at  first  led 
between  low  hills,  now  entered  a  deep  mountain- 
gorge,  inclosed  by  abrupt  mountains  of  rock  several 
thousand  feet  in  heie;ht. 

O 

For  two  days  the  party  followed  this  winding  de- 
file, where  the  precipices  frequently  towered  from 
three  to  four  thousand  feet  over  their  heads.  Then, 
having  passed  the  main  chain,  the  country  became 
more  open,  and  they  reached  the  village  of  Muskin, 
in  the  territory  of  the  Beni  Kalban  Arabs.  Their 


52  TEA  VELS  IN  ARABIA 

progress  beyond  this  point  was  slow  and  tedious,  on 
account  of  the  country  being  divided  into  separate 
districts,  which  are  partly  independent  of  each  other. 
At  the  next  town,  Makiniyat,  the  Shekh  urged  them 
to  go  no  farther,  on  account  of  the  great  risk,  but 
finally  consented  to  furnish  an  escort  to  Obri,  the 
last  town  to  the  northward  which  acknowledges  the 
sway  of  Muscat.  This  was  distant  two  days'  journey 
— the  first  through  a  broad  valley  between  pyramidal 
hills,  the  second  over  sandy  plains,  which  indicated 
their  approach  to  the  Desert. 

Obri  is  one  of  the  largest  and  most  populous 
towns  in  Oman.  The  inhabitants  devote  themselves 
almost .  exclusively  to  agriculture,  and  export  large 
quantities  of  indigo,  sugar,  and  dates.  On  arriving 
Wellsted  went  immediately  to  the  residence  of  the 
Shekh,  whom  he  found  to  be  a  very  different  char- 
acter from  the  officials  whom  he  had  hitherto  en- 
countered. "  Upon  my  producing  the  Imam's  let- 
ters," says  he,  "  he  read  them,  and  took  his  leave 
without  returning  any  answer.  About  an  hour  after- 
ward he  sent  a  verbal  message  to  request  that  I 
should  lose  no  time  in  quitting  his  town,  as  he 
begged  to  inform  me,  what  he  supposed  I  could  not 
have  been  aware  of,  that  it  was  then  filled  with 
nearly  two  thousand  "Wahabees.  This  was  indeed 
news  to  us  ;  it  was  somewhat  earlier  than  we  antici- 
pated falling  in  with  them,  but  we  put  a  good  face  on 
the  matter,  and  behaved  as  coolly  as  we  could." 

The  next  morning  the  Shekh  returned,  with  a  pos- 
itive refusal  to  allow  them  to  proceed  farther.  Well- 
sted demanded  a  written  refusal,  as  evidence  which 


WELLSTED'S  EXPLORATIONS  IN  OMAN      53 

he  could  present  to  the  Sultan,  and  this  the  Shekli  at 
once  promised  to  give.  His  object  was  evidently  to 
force  the  traveller  away  from  the  place,  and  such 
was  the  threatening  appearance  of  things  that  the 
latter  had  no  wish  to  remain.  The  Wahabees 
crowded  around  the  party  in  great  numbers,  and 
seemed  only  waiting  for  some  pretext  to  commence 
an  affray.  *'  When  the  Shekli  came  and  presented 
me  with  the  letter  for  the  Sultan,"  says  "Wellsted,  "  I 
knew  it  would  be  in  vain  to  make  any  further  effort 
to  shake  his  resolution,  and  therefore  did  not  attempt 
it.  In  the  meantime  news  had  spread  far  and  wide 
that  two  Englishmen,  with  a  box  of  '  dollars,'  but  in 
reality  containing  only  the  few  clothes  that  we  car- 
ried with  us,  had  halted  in  the  town.  The  Waha- 
bees and  other  tribes  had  met  in  deliberation,  while 
the  lower  classes  of  the  townsfolk  were  creating  noise 
and  confusion.  The  Shekli  either  had  not  the  shad- 
ow of  any  influence,  or  was  afraid  to  exercise  it,  and 
his  followers  evidently  wished  to  share  in  the  plun- 
der. It  was  time  to  act.  I  called  AH  on  one  side, 
told  him  to  make  neither  noise  nor  confusion,  but  to 
collect  the  camels  without  delay.  In  the  meantime 
we  had  packed  up  the  tent,  the  crowd  increasing 
every  minute ;  the  camels  were  ready,  and  we 
mounted  on  them.  A  leader,  or  some  trifling  inci- 
dent, was  now  only  wanting  to  furnish  them  with  a 
pretext  for  .an  onset.  They  followed  us  with  hisses 
and  various  other  noises  until  we  got  sufficiently 
clear  to  push  briskly  forward  ;  and,  beyond  a  few 
stones  being  thrown,  we  reached  the  outskirts  of  the 
town  without  further  molestation.  I  had  often  be- 


54  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

fore  heard  of  the  inhospitable  character  of  the  in- 
habitants of  this  place.  The  neighboring  Arabs  ob- 
serve that  to  enter  Obri  a  man  must  either  go  armed 
to  the  teeth,  or  as  a  beggar  with  a  cloth,  and  that  not 
of  decent  quality,  around  his  waist.  Thus,  for  a  sec- 
ond time,  ended  my  hopes  of  reach  ing  Derrey  eh  from 
this  quarter." 

Wellsted  was  forced  to  return  to  Suweik,  narrowly 
escaping  a  Bedouin  ambush  on  the  way.  As  a  last 
attempt  he  followed  the  coast  as  far  as  Schinas,  near 
the  mouth  of  the  Straits  of  Ormuz,  and  thence  de- 
spatched a  messenger  to  the  Wahabees  at  Birsimah. 
This  plan  also  failed,  and  he  then  returned  to  India. 
He  has  given  us,  however,  the  only  authentic  account 
of  the  scenery  and  inhabitants  of  the  interior  of  Oman, 
and  his  travels  are  thus  an  important  contribution  to 
our  knowledge  of  Arabia. 

It  is  a  sufficient  commentary  on  the  exclusive  char- 
acter of  Interior  Arabia,  and  the  difficulties  that  bar 
the  way  there  to  free  and  thorough  exploration,  that, 
although  Lieutenant  Wellsted's  journey  was  in  1835, 
we  still  (1892)  have  to  turn  to  his  very  interesting 
narrative  for  almost  all  we  know  of  the  interior  of 
Oman. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

WELLSTED'S    DISCOVERY    OF    AN    ANCIENT    CITY    IN 
HADRAMAUT 

WHILE  employed  in  the  survey  of  the  southern 
coast  of  Arabia  in  the  spring  of  1835,  Lieu- 
tenant "VVellsted  was  occupied  for  a  time  near  the 
cape  called  Ras  el-Ase'ida,  in  Hadramaut,  "about  one 
hundred  miles  east  of  Aden.  On  this  cape  there  is 
a  watch-tower,  with  the  guardian  of  which,  an  officer 
named  Hamed,  he  became  acquainted  ;  and  on  learn- 
ing from  the  Bedouins  of  the  neighborhood  that  ex- 
tensive ruins,  which  they  described  as  having  been 
built  by  infidels,  and  of  great  antiquity,  were  to  be 
found  at  some  distance  inland,  he  prevailed  upon  the 
officer  to  procure  him  camels  and  guides. 

One  day,  having  landed  with  a  midshipman  in 
order  to  visit  some  inscriptions  at  a  few  hours'  dis- 
tance, the  Bedouins  who  brought  the  camels  refused 
to  go  to  the  place,  but  expressed  their  willingness  to 
convey  the  two  Europeans  to  the  ruined  city.  Ha- 
med declined  to  accompany  them,  on  the  plea  of 
sickness,  and  they  were  unsupplied  with  provisions 
or  presents  for  the  Shekhs  of  the  villages  on  the  way. 
Still  the  chance  was  too  tempting  to  be  lost.  Well- 
sted  decided  to  trust  himself  to  the  uncertain  pro- 
tection of  the  Bedouins,  sent  his  boat  to  the  survey- 


56  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

ing  vessel  with  a  message  that  it  should  meet  him  at 
a  point  farther  to  the  westward  at  the  end  of  three 
days,  and  set  out  for  the  ruins  late  in  the  afternoon. 

Leaving  the  sea-shore  at  sunset,  they  struck  north- 
ward into  the  interior,  and  travelled  until  after  mid- 
night, passing  several  villages  of  the  Diyabi  Bed- 
ouins, a  very  fierce  and  powerful  tribe,  who  are 
dreaded  by  all  their  neighbors.  Scraping  for  them- 
selves beds  in  the  sand,  the  travellers  slept  until 
daybreak  without  being  disturbed.  The  path  soon 
after  mounted  a  ledge  about  four  hundred  feet  in 
height,  from  the  summit  of  which  they  obtained  an 
extensive  but  dreary  view  of  the  surrounding  coun- 
try. Their  route  lay  along  a  broad  valle}-,  skirted 
on  each  side  by  a  lofty  range  of  mountains.  By 
eight  o'clock  the  sun  became  so  oppressive  that  the 
Bedouins  halted  under  the  shade  of  some  stunted 
tamarisk  trees.  "Within  these  burning  hollows," 
says  "Wellsted,  "  the  sun's  rays  are  concentrated  and 
thrown  off  as  from  a  mirror ;  the  herbs  around  were 
scorched  to  a  cindery  blackness;  not  a  cloud  ob- 
scured the  firmament,  and  the  breeze  which  moaned 
past  us  was  of  a  glowing  heat,  like  that  escaping 
from  the  mouth  of  a  furnace.  Our  guides  dug  hol- 
lows in  the  sand,  and  thrust  their  blistered  feet 
within  them.  Although  we  were  not  long  in  avail- 
ing ourselves  of  the  practical  lesson  they  had  taught 
ns,  I  began  to  be  far  from  pleased  with  their  churl- 
ish demeanor." 

During  the  day  they  travelled  over  sandy  and 
stony  ridges,  and  late  in  the  afternoon  entered  the 
Wady  Meifah,  where  they  found  wells  of  good  water 


DISCOVERY  OF  AN  ANCIENT  CITY          57 

and  scanty  vegetation.  "The  country  now  began  to 
assume  a  far  different  aspect.  Numerous  hamlets, 
interspersed  amid  extensive  date  groves,  verdant 
fields  of  grain,  and  herds  of  sleek  cattle,  showed 
themselves  in  every  direction,  and  we  now  fell  in 
with  parties  of  inhabitants  for  the  first  time  since 
leaving  the  sea-shore.  Astonishment  was  depicted 
on  their  countenances,  but  as  we  did  not  halt  they 
had  no  opportunity  of  gratifying  their  curiosity  by 
gazing  at  us  for  any  length  of  time." 

One  of  the  Bedouins,  however,  in  spite  of  Well- 
sted's  remonstrances,  told  the  people  that  the  trav- 
ellers were  in  search  of  buried  treasure.  When  the 
latter  attempted  to  encamp  near  a  village,  the  inhab- 
itants requested  them  to  remove ;  the  guides  proved 
to  be  ignorant  of  the  road  in  the  night,  and  they 
would  have  been  suffered  to  wander  about  without 
shelter  but  for  the  kindness  of  an  old  woman,  who 
conducted  them  to  her  house.  This  proved  to  be  a 
kind  of  khan  for  travellers,  and  was  already  so 
crowded  that  the  travellers  were  obliged  to  sleep  in 
an  open  courtyard. 

The}7  were  hardly  prepared  for  the  scene  which 
daylight  disclosed  to  them.  "  The  dark  verdure  of 
fields  of  millet,  sorghum,  tobacco,  etc.,  extended  as 
far  as  the  eye  could  reach.  Mingled  with  these  we 
had  the  soft  acacia  and  the  stately  but  more  sombre 
foliage  of  the  date  palm  ;  while  the  creaking  of  nu- 
merous wheels  with  which  the  grounds  were  irrigat- 
ed, and  in  the  distance  several  rude  ploughs  drawn 
by  oxen,  the  ruddy  and  lively  appearance  of  the  peo- 
ple, who  now  flocked  toward  us  from  all  quarters, 


58  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

and  the  delightful  and  refreshing  coolness  of  the 
morning  air,  combined  to  form  a  scene  which  he  who 
gazes  on  the  barren  aspect  of  the  coast  could  never 
anticipate. 

After  three  hours'  travel  through  this  bright  and 
populous  region,  they  came  in  sight  of  the  ruins, 
which  the  inhabitants  call  Nakab  el-Hadjar  (mean- 
ing "  The  Excavation  from  the  Rock  ").  According 
to  Wellsted's  estimate,  they  are  about  fifty  miles 
from  the  coast. 

The  following  is  Wellsted's  description  of  the 
place :  "  The  hill  upon  which  these  ruins  are  situ- 
ated stands  out  in  the  centre  of  the  valley,  and  di- 
vides a  stream  which  passes,  during  floods,  on  either 
side  of  it.  It  is  nearly  eight  hundred  yards  in  length-, 
and  about  three  hundred  and  fifty  yards  at  its  ex- 
treme breadth.  About  a  third  of  the  height  from  its 
base  a  massive  wall,  averaging  from  thirty  to  forty 
feet  in  height,  is  carried  completely  around  the  emi- 
nence, and  flanked  by  square  towers,  erected  at  equal 
distances.  There  are  bnt  two  entrances,  north  and 
south  ;  a  hollow,  square  tower,  measuring  fourteen 
feet,  stands  on  both  sides  of  these.  Their  bases  ex- 
tend to  the  plain  below,  and  are  carried  out  consider- 
ably beyond  the  rest  of  the  building.  Between  the 
towers,  at  an  elevation  of  twenty  feet  from  the  plain, 
there  is  an  oblong  platform  which  projects  about 
eighteen  feet  without  and  within  the  walls.  A  flight 
of  steps  was  apparently  once  attached  to  either  ex- 
tremity of  the  building. 

"  Within  the  entrance,  at  an  elevation  of  ten  feet 
from  the  platform,  we  found  inscriptions.  They  are 


DISCOVERT  OF  AN  ANCIENT  CITY          59 

executed  with  extreme  care,  in  two  horizontal  lines, 
on  the  smooth  face  of  the  stones,  the  letters  being 
about  eight  inches  long.  Attempts  have  been  made, 
though  without  success,  to  obliterate  them.  From 
the  conspicuous  situation  which  they  occupy,  there 
can  be  but  little  doubt  but  that,  when  deciphered, 
they  will  be  found  to  contain  the  name  of  the  founder 
of  the  building,  as  well  as  the  date  and  purport  of  its 
erection.*  The  whole  of  the  walls  and  towers,  and 
some  of  the  edifices  within,  are  built  of  the  same  ma- 
terial— a  compact  grayish-colored  marble,  hewn  to 
the  required  shape  with  the  utmost  nicety.  The  di- 
mensions of  the  slabs  at  the  base  were  from  five  to 
seven  feet  in  length,  two  to  three  in  height,  and  three 
to  four  in  breadth. 

"  Let  us  now  visit  the  interior,  where  the  most 
conspicuous  object  is  an  oblong  square  building,  the 
walls  of  which  face  the  cardinal  points :  its  dimen- 
sions are  twenty-seven  by  seventeen  yards.  The 
walls  are  fronted  with  a  kind  of  freestone,  each  slab 
being  cut  of  the  same  size,  and  the  whole  so  beauti- 
fully put  together  that  I  endeavored  in  vain  to  insert 
the  blade  of  a  small  penknife  between  them.  The 
outer,  unpolished  surface  is  covered  with  small  chisel- 
marks,  which  the  Bedouins  have  mistaken  for  writ- 
ing. From  the  extreme  care  displayed  in  the  con- 
struction of  this  building,  I  have  no  doubt  that  it  is 
a  temple,  and  my  disappointment  at  finding  the  in- 

*  The  inscription,  which  is  copied  in  Lieutenant  Wellsted's 
work,  appears  to  be  in  the  Himyaritic  character.  If  any  transla- 
tion of  it  has  ever  been  made,  the  compiler  is  unable  to  say  where 
it  can  be  found. 


60  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

terior  filled  up  with  the  ruins  of  the  fallen  roof  was 
very  great.  Had  it  remained  entire,  we  might  have 
obtained  some  clew  to  guide  us  in  our  researches  re- 
specting the  form  of  religion  professed  by  the  earlier 
Arabs.  Above  and  beyond  this  building  there  are 
several  other  edifices,  with  nothing  peculiar  in  their 
form  or  appearance. 

"  In  no  portion  of  the  ruins  did  we  succeed  in 
tracing  any  remains  of  arches  or  columns,  nor  could 
we  discover  on  their  surface  any  of  those  fragments 
of  pottery,  colored  glass,  or  metals,  which  are  always 
found  in  old  Egyptian  towns,  and  which  I  also  saw 
in  those  we  discovered  on  the  northwest  coast  of 
Arabia.  Except  the  attempts  to  deface  the  inscrip- 
tions, there  is  no  other  appearance  of  the  buildings 
having  suffered  from  any  ravages  besides  those  of 
time ;  and  owing  to  the  dry  ness  of  the  climate,  as 
well  as  the  hardness  of  the  material,  every  stone, 
even  to  the  marking  of  the  chisel,  remains  as  perfect 
as  the  day  it  was  hewn.  We  were  anxious  to  ascer- 
tain if  the  Arabs  had  preserved  any  tradition  con- 
cerning the  building,  but  they  refer  them,  like  other 
Arabs,  to  their  pagan  ancestors.  '  Do  you  believe,' 
said  one  of  the  Bedouins  to  me  upon  my  telling  him 
that  his  ancestors  were  then  capable  of  greater  works 
than  themselves,  '  that  these  stones  were  raised  by 
the  unassisted  hands  of  the  Kafirs  ?  No !  no !  They 
had  devils,  legions  of  devils  (God  preserve  us  from 
them !),  to  aid  them.' " 

On  his  return  to  the  sea,  which  occupied  a  day  and 
a  half,  Wellsted  was  kindly  treated  by  the  natives, 
and  suffered  only  from  the  intense  heat.  The  vessel 


DISCOVERT  OF  AN  ANCIENT  CITY  61 

was  fortunately  waiting  at  the  appointed  place.  Since 
the  journey  was  made  (in  1836)  Baron  von  Wrede, 
a  German  traveller,  has  succeeded  in  exploring  a  por- 
tion of  Hadramaut,  penetrating  as  far  as  Wady  Doan. 
a  large  and  populous  valley,  more  than  a  hundred 
miles  from  the  coast.  But  a  thorough  exploration  of 
both  Yemen  and  Hadramaut  is  still  wanting,  and 
when  made,  it  will  undoubtedly  result  in  many  im- 
portant discoveries. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

BURTON'S    PILGRIMAGE 

CAPTAIN  RICHARD  F.  BURTON,  the  dis- 
coverer of  the  great  Lake  Tanganyika,  in  Cen- 
tral Africa,  first  became  known  to  the  world  by  his 
daring  and  entirely  successful  visit  to  Medina  and 
Mecca,  in  the  year  1853,  in  the  disguise  of  a  Moslem 
pilgrim.  Although  his  journey  was  that  of  Burck- 
hardt,  reversed,  and  he  describes  the  same  ceremonies, 
his  account  supplies  many  deficiencies  in  the  narrative 
of  his  predecessor,  and  has  the  merit  of  a  livelier  and 
more  graphic  style. 

Burton's  original  design  was  to  cross  the  Arabian 
Peninsula  from  west  to  east,  as  Palgrave  has  since 
done,  and  the  Royal  Geographical  Society  was  dis- 
posed to  accept  his  services.  But  he  failed  to  obtain 
a  sufficient  leave  of  absence  from  the  East  India 
Company,  which  only  granted  him  a  furlough  of  one 
year — a  period  quite  insufficient  for  the  undertaking. 
He  therefore  determined  to  prove  at  least  his  fitness 
for  the  task,  by  making  the  pilgrimage  to  the  holy 
cities.  He  was  already  familiar  with  the  Arabic  and 
Persian  languages,  and  had  the  advantage  of  an 
Eastern  cast  of  countenance. 

Like  Burckhardt,  he  assumed  an  Oriental  character 
at  the  start,  and  during  the  voyage  from  Southamp- 


BURTON'S  PILGRIMAGE  63 

ton  to  Alexandria  was  supposed  to  be  a  Persian 
prince.  For  two  or  three  months  he  laboriously  ap- 
plied himself  in  Egypt  to  the  necessary  religious 
studies,  joined  a  society  of  dervishes,  under  the  name 
of  Shekh  Abdullah,  kept  the  severe  fast  of  Ramazan, 
and  familiarized  himself  with  all  the  orthodox  forms 
of  ablution,  prayer,  and  prostration.  lie  gave  him- 
self out  to  be  an  Afghan  by  birth,  but  long  absent 
from  his  native  country,  a  character  which  was  well 
adapted  to  secure  him  against  detection.  During  his 
stay  in  Cairo  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  a  boy 
named  Mohammed  el-Basyuni,  a  native  of  Mecca, 
who  became  his  companion  for  the  journey,  and  who 
seems  not  to  have  suspected  his  real  character  until 
the  pilgrimage  was  over. 

Having  purchased  a  tent  and  laid  in  an  ample 
supply  of  provisions,  with  about  four  hundred  dollars 
in  money,  he  went  to  Suez  about  July  1st,  with 
the  avowed  purpose  of  proceeding  to  Mecca  by  way 
of  Jedda,  yet  with  the  secret  intention  of  visiting 
Medina  on  the  way.  Here  he  became  acquaint- 
ed with  a  company  of  pilgrims,  whose  good-will 
lie  secured  by  small  loans  of  money,  and  joined 
them  in  taking  passage  in  a  large  Arab  boat  bound 
for  Yembo.  The  vessel  was  called  the  Golden 
Wire.  "  Immense  was  the  confusion,"  says  Burton, 
"  on  the  eventful  day  of  our  departure.  Suppose  us 
standing  on  the  beach,  on  the  morning  of  a  fiery 
July  day,  carefully  watching  our  hurriedly-packed 
goods  and  chattels,  surrounded  by  a  mob  of  idlers 
who  are  not  too  proud  to  pick  up  waifs  and  strays, 
while  pilgrims  rush  about  apparently  mad,  and  friends 


64  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

are  weeping,  acquaintances  vociferating  adieux,  boat- 
men demanding  fees,  shopmen  claiming  debts,  women 
shrieking  and  talking  with  inconceivable  power,  chil- 
dren crying — in  short,  for  an  hour  or  so  we  were  in 
the  thick  of  a  human  storm.  To  confound  confusion, 
the  boatmen  have  moored  their  skiff  half  a  dozen 
yards  away  from  the  shore,  lest  the  porters  should  be 
unable  to  make  more  than  double  their  fare  from  the 
pilgrims." 

They  sailed  on  July  6th,  and  were   five  days  in 
reaching  the  mouth  of  the  Gulf  of  Akaba.     While 
crossing  to  the  Arabian  shore,  the  pilgrims  are  ac- 
customed to  repeat  the  following  prayer,  which  is  a 
good  example  of  Moslem  invocation  :  "  O  Allah,  O 
Exalted,  O  Almighty,  O  All-pitiful,  O  All-powerful, 
thou  art  my  God,  and  sufficeth  to  me  the  knowledge 
of  it !     Glorified  be  the  Lord  my  Lord,  and  glorified 
lie  the  faith  my  faith  !     Thou  givest  victory  to  whom 
thou  pleaseth,  and  thou  art  the  glorious,  the  merci- 
ful !     We  pray  thee  for  safety  in  our  goings-forth 
and  in  our  standings-still,  in  our  words  and  onr  de- 
signs, in  our  dangers  of  temptation  and  doubts,  and 
the  secret  designs  of  our  hearts.     Subject   unto  us 
this   sea,    even    as   thou   didst  subject   the  deep   to 
Moses,  and  as  thou  didst  subject  the  fire  to  Abra- 
ham, and  as  thou  didst  subject  the  iron  to  David, 
and  as  thou  didst  subject  the  wind,  and  devils,  and 
genii,  and  mankind  to  Solomon,  and  as  thou  didst 
subject  the  moon  and  El-Burak  to  Mohammed,  upon 
whom  be   Allah's  mercy   and  His   blessing !     And 
subject  unto  us  all  the  seas  in  earth  and  heaven,  in 
the  visible  and  in  thine  invisible  worlds,  the  sea  of 


BURTON  S  PILGRIMAGE  65 

this  life,  and  the  sea  of  futurity.  O  thou  who  reign- 
est  over  everything,  and  unto  whom  all  things  re- 
turn, Khyar  !  Khyar  !  " 

A  further  voyage  of  another  week,  uncomfortable 
and  devoid  of  incident,  brought  the  vessel  to  Yembo. 
As  the  pilgrims  were  desirous  of  pushing  on  to  Me- 
dina, camels  were  hired  on  the  day  of  arrival,  and,  a 
week's  provisions  having  been  purchased,  the  little 
caravan  started  the  next  afternoon.  Burton,  by  the 
advice  of  his  companions,  assumed  the  Arab  dress, 
but  travelled  in  a  litter,  both  because  of  an  injury 
to  his  foot,  and  because  he  could  thus  take  notes  on 
the  way  without  being  observed.  On  account  of 
the  heat  the  caravan  travelled  mostly  by  night ;  the 
country,  thus  dimly  seen,  was  low  and  barren  for 
the  first  two  days,  but  on  the  third  day  they  reached 
a  wilder  region,  which  Burton  thus  describes  :  "  We 
travelled  through  a  country  fantastic  in  its  desolation 
— a  mass  of  huge  hills,  barren  plains,  and  desert 
vales.  Even  the  sturdy  acacias  here  failed,  and  in 
some  places  the  camel  grass  could  not  find  earth 
enough  to  take  root  in.  The  road  wound  among 
mountains,  rocks,  and  hills  of  granite,  over  broken 
ground,  flanked  by  huge  blocks  and  bowlders,  piled  up 
as  if  man's  art  had  aided  nature  to  disfigure  herself. 
Vast  clefts  seemed  like  scars  on  the  hideous  face  of 
earth  ;  here  they  widened  into  dark  caves,  there  they 
were  choked  up  with  glistening  drift  sand.  Kot  a 
bird  or  a  beast  was  to  be  seen  or  heard  ;  their  pres- 
ence would  have  argued  the  vicinity  of  water,  and 
though  my  companions  opined  that  Bedouins  were 
lurking  among  the  rocks,  I  decided  that  these  Bedou- 


66  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

ins  were  the  creatures  of  their  fears.  Above,  a  sky 
like  polished  blue  steel,  with  a  tremendous  blaze  of 
yellow  light,  glared  upon  us,  without  the  thinnest  veil 
of  mist  or  cloud.  The  distant  prospect,  indeed,  was 
more  attractive  than  the  near  view,  because  it  bor- 
rowed a  bright  azure  tinge  from  the  intervening 
atmosphere ;  but  the  jagged  peaks  and  the  perpendicu- 
lar streaks  of  shadow  down  the  flanks  of  the  moun- 
tainous background  showed  that  no  change  for  the 
better  was  yet  in  store  for  us." 

At  the  little  towns  of  El-Hamra  and  Bir  Abbas 
the  caravan  rested  a  day,  suffering  much  from  the 
intense  heat,  and  with  continual  quarrels  between  the 
pilgrims  and  the  Arabs  to  whom  the  camels  belonged. 
At  the  latter  place  they  were  threatened  with  a  de- 
tention of  several  days,  but  the  difficulty  was  settled, 
and  they  set  out  upon  the  most  dangerous  portion  of 
the  road.  "  We  travelled  that  night,"  says  Burton 
"  up  a  dry  river-course  in  an  easterly  direction,  and 
at  early  dawn  found  ourselves  in  an  ill-famed  gorge, 
called  Shuab  el-IIadj  (the  'Pilgrim's  Pass').  The 
loudest  talkers  became  silent  as  we  neared  it,  and 
their  countenances  showed  apprehension  written  in 
legible  characters.  Presently,  from  the  high,  pre- 
cipitous cliff  on  our  left,  thin  blue  curls  of  smoke — 
somehow  or  other  they  caught  every  eye — rose  in  the 
air,  and  instantly  afterward  rang  the  loud,  sharp 
cracks  of  the  hill-men's  matchlocks,  echoed  by  the 
rocks  on  the  right.  My  shugduf  had  been  broken  by 
the  camel's  falling  during  the  night,  so  I  called  out 
to  Mansiir  that  we  had  better  splice  the  frame- work 
with  a  bit  of  rope ;  he  looked  up,  saw  me  laughing, 


BURTON'S  PILGRIMAGE  67 

and  with  an  ejaculation  of  disgust  disappeared.  A 
number  of  Bedouins  were  to  be  seen  swarming  like 
hornets  over  the  crests  of  the  rocks,  boys  as  well  as 
men  carrying  huge  weapons,  and  climbing  with  the 
agility  of  cats.  They  took  up  comfortable  places  in 
the  cut-throat  eminence,  and  began  firing  upon  us 
with  perfect  convenience  to  themselves.  The  height 
of  the  hills  and  the  glare  of  the  rising  sun  prevented 
my  seeing  objects  very  distinctly,  but  my  companions 
pointed  out  to  me  places  where  the  rock  had  been 
scarped,  and  a  kind  of  breastwork  of  rough  stones — 
the  Sangah  of  Afghanistan,  piled  up  as  a  defence, 
and  a  rest  for  the  long  barrel  of  the  matchlock.  It 
was  useless  to  challenge  the  Bedouins  to  come  down 
and  fight  us  upon  the  plain  like  men  ;  and  it  was 
equally  unprofitable  for  our  escort  to  fire  upon  a  foe 
ensconced  behind  stones.  We  had,  therefore,  nothing 
to  do  but  to  blaze  away  as  much  powder  and  to 
veil  ourselves  in  as  much  smoke  as  possible ;  the  re- 
sult of  the  affair  was  that  we  lost  twelve  men,  be- 
sides camels  and  other  beasts  of  burden.  Though 
the  bandits  showed  no  symptoms  of  bravery,  and 
confined  themselves  to  slaughtering  the  enemy  from 
their  hill-top,  my  companions  seemed  to  consider 
this  questionable  affair  a  most  gallant  exploit." 

After  two  more  days  of  severe  travel,  the  pilgrims, 
at  early  dawn,  came  in  sight  of  the  holy  city  of  Me- 
dina. Burton  thus  describes  the  approach,  and  the 
view  from  the  western  ridge :  "  Half  an  hour  after 
leaving  the  Wady  el-Akik,  or  '  Blessed  Valley,'  we 
came  to  a  huge  flight  of  steps,  roughly  cut  in  a  long, 
broad  line  of  black,  scoriaceous  basalt.  This  is 


68  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

called  the  Mudarraj,  or  flight  of  steps  over  the 
western  ridge  of  the  so-called  El-Harratain  ;  it  is 
holy  ground,  for  the  Prophet  spoke  well  of  it. 
Arrived  at  the  top,  we  passed  through  a  lane  of 
black  scoria,  with  deep  banks  on  both  sides,  and, 
after  a  few  minutes  a  full  view  of  the  city  suddenly 
opened  on  us.  We  halted  our  beasts  as  if  by  word 
of  command.  All  of  us  descended,  in  imitation  of 
the  pious  of  old,  and  sat  down,  jaded  and  hungry  as 
we  were,  to  feast  our  eyes  with  a  view  of  the  Holy 
City.  The  prayer  was,  '  O  Allah  !  this  is  the  Haram 
(sanctuary)  of  the  Prophet ;  make  it  to  us  a  protec- 
tion from  hell  fire,  and  a  refuge  from  eternal  punish- 
ment! O,  open  the  gates  of  thy  mercy,  and  let  us 
pass  through  them  to  the  land  of  joy  ! ' 

"  As  we  looked  eastward,  the  sun  arose  out  of  the 
horizon  of  low  hills,  blurred  and  dotted  with  small 
tufted  trees,  which  gained  a  giant  stature  from  the 
morning  mists,  and  the  earth  was  stained  with  gold 
and  purple.  Before  us  lay  a  spacious  plain,  bounded 
in  front  by  the  undulating  ground  of  Nedjed  ;  on  the 
left  was  a  grim  barrier  of  rocks,  the  celebrated  Mount 
Ohod,  with  a  clump  of  verdure  and  a  white  dome  or 
two  nestling  at  its  base.  Rightward,  broad  streaks 
of  lilac-colored  mists  were  thick  with  gathered  dew, 
there  pierced  and  thinned  by  the  morning  rays, 
stretched  over  the  date-groves  and  the  gardens  of 
Kuba,  which  stood  out  in  emerald  green  from  the 
dull  tawny  surface  of  the  plain.  Below,  at  the  dis- 
tance of  about  two  miles,  lay  El  Medina  ;  at  first 
sight  it  appeared  a  large  place,  but  a  closer  inspection 
proved  the  impression  to  be  an  erroneous  one." 


BURTON'S  PILGRIMAGE  69 

On  arriving  at  Medina,  Bui-ton  became  the  guest 
of  one  of  the  company  he  had  met  at  Suez,  and  dur- 
ing his  stay  of  a  month  in  the  city  performed  all  the 
religious  ceremonies  and  visitations  which  are  pre- 
scribed for  the  pilgrim.  He  gives  the  following  de- 
scription of  the  Prophet's  mosque  :  "  Passing  through 
muddy  streets — they  had  been  freshly  watered  before 
evening  time — I  came  suddenly  upon  the  mosque. 
Like  that  at  Mecca,  the  approach  is  choked  up  by 
ignoble  buildings,  some  actually  touching  the  holy 
'  enceinte,'  others  separated  by  a  lane  compared  with 
which  the  road  around  St.  Paul's  is  a  Vatican  square. 
There  is  no  outer  front,  no  general  aspect  of  the 
Prophet's  mosque ;  consequently,  as  a  building  it 
has  neither  beauty  nor  dignity.  And  entering  the 
Bab  el-Jlahmah — the  Gate  of  Pity — by  a  diminutive 
flight  of  steps,  I  was  astonished  at  the  mean  and 
tawdry  appearance  of  a  place  so  universally  venerated 
in  the  Moslem  world.  It  is  not  like  the  Mecean 
mosque,  grand  and  simple — the  expression  of  a  single 
sublime  idea  ;  the  longer  I  looked  at  it  the  more  it 
suggested  the  resemblance  of  a  museum  of  second- 
rate  art,  a  curiosity-shop,  full  of  ornaments  that  are 
not  accessories,  and  decorated  with  pauper  splendor." 
We  must  also  quote  the  traveller's  account  of  his 
manner  of  spending  the  day  during  his  residence  in 
Medina :  "  At  dawn  we*  arose,  washed,  prayed,  and 
broke  our  fast  upon  a  crust  of  stale  bread,  before 
smoking  a  pipe,  and  drinking  a  cup  of  coffee.  Then 
it  was  time  to  dress,  to  mount,  and  to  visit  the  Haram 
in  one  of  the  holy  places  outside  the  city.  Return- 
ing before  the  sun  became  intolerable,  we  sat  to- 


70  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

gether,  and  with  conversation,  shishas  and  chibouques, 
coffee  and  cold  water  perfumed  with  mastich-smoke, 
we  whiled  away  the  time  till  our  ariston,  an  early 
dinner  which  appeared  at  the  primitive  hour  of  11 
A.M.  The  meal  was  served  in  the  majlis  on  a  large 
copper  tray  sent  from  the  upper  apartments.  Ejacu- 
lating '  Bismillah  ' — the  Moslem  grace — we  all  sat 
round  it,  and  dipped  equal  hands  in  the  dishes  set 
before  us.  We  had  usually  unleavened  bread,  differ- 
ent kinds  of  meat  and  vegetable  stews,  and  at  the  end 
of  the  first  course  plain  boiled  rice,  eaten  with  spoons ; 
then  came  the  fruits,  fresh  dates,  grapes,  and  pome- 
granates. After  dinner  I  used  invariably  to  find 
some  excuse — such  as  the  habit  of  a  '  Kaylulah '  (mid- 
day siesta),  or  the  being  a  '  Saudawi,'  or  person  of 
melancholy  temperament,  to  have  a  rug  spread  in  the 
dark  passage,  and  there  to  lie  reading,  dozing,  smok- 
ing, or  writing,  all  through  the  worst  part  of  the  day, 
from  noon  to  sunset.  Then  came  the  hour  for  re- 
ceiving and  paying  visits.  The  evening  prayers  en- 
sued, either  at  home  or  in  the  Haram,  followed  by 
our  supper,  another  substantial  meal  like  the  dinner, 
but  more  plentiful,  of  bread,  meat,  vegetables,  rice, 
and  fruits.  In  the  evening  we  sometimes  dressed  in 
common  clothes  and  went  to  the  cafe  ;  sometimes 
on  festive  occasions  we  indulged  in  a  late  supper  of 
sweetmeats,  pomegranates,  and  dried  fruits.  Usually 
we  sat  upon  mattresses  spread  upon  the  ground  in 
the  open  air,  at  the  Shekh's  door,  receiving  evening 
visits,  chatting,  telling  stories,  and  making  merry, 
till  each,  as  he  felt  the  approach  of  the  drowsy  god, 
sank  down  into  his  proper  place,  and  fell  asleep." 


BURTON'S  PILGRIMAGE  71 

Burton  was  charmed  with  the  garden  and  date- 
groves  about  Medina,  and  enjoyed  the  excursions, 
which  were  enjoined  upon  him  as  a  pilgrim,  to  Jebel 
Ohod,  the  mosque  of  Kuba,  and  other  places  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  city.  On  August  28th  the  caravan  of 
pilgrims  from  Damascus  arrived,  and,  on  account  of 
danger  from  the  Bedouins,  decided  to  leave  on  the 
fourth  day  afterward,  taking  the  Desert  road  to 
Mecca,  the  same  travelled  by  the  Caliph  Haroun  El- 
Kaschid  and  his  wife  Zobeida,  instead  of  the  longer 
road  nearer  the  coast,  which  Burckhardt  had  fol- 
lowed. When  this  plan  was  announced,  Burton  and 
his  companions  had  but  twenty-four  hours  to  make 
the  necessary  preparations  ;  but  by  hard  work  they 
were  ready.  Leaving  Medina,  they  hastened  onward 
to  secure  good  places  in  the  caravan,  which  was  com- 
posed of  about  seven  thousand  pilgrims,  and  extended 
over  many  miles  of  the  road. 

For  the  first  four  days  they  travelled  southward 
over  a  wild,  desolate  country,  almost  destitute  of 
water  and  vegetation.  On  account  of  heat,  as  well 
as  for  greater  security,  the  journey  was  made  chiefly 
by  night,  although  the  forced  marches  between  the 
wells  obliged  them  sometimes  to  endure  the  greatest 
heat  of  the  day.  Burton  says :  "  I  can  scarcely  find 
words  to  express  the  weary  horrors  of  a  long  night's 
march,  during  which  the  hapless  traveller,  fuming, 
if  a  European,  with  disappointment  in  his  hopes  of 
'  seeing  the  country,'  is  compelled  to  sit  upon  the 
back  of  a  creeping  camel.  The  day  sleep,  too,  is  a 
kind  of  lethargy,  and  it  is  all  but  impossible  to  pre- 
serve an  appetite  during  the  hours  of  heat." 


72  TRA  VELS  IN  ARABIA 

After  making  ninety-nine  miles  from  Medina,  they 
reached  the  village  of  El  Suwayrkiyah,  which  is  in- 
cluded within  the  Meccan  territory.  The  town,  con- 
sisting of  about  one  hundred  houses,  is  built  at  the 
base  and  on  the  sides  of  a  basaltic  mass  which  rises 
abruptly  from  the  hard  clayey  plain.  The  summit 
is  converted  into  a  rude  fortalice  by  a  bulwark  of 
uncut  stone,  piled  up  so  as  to  make  a  parapet.  The 
lower  part  of  the  town  is  protected  by  a  mud  wall, 
with  the  usual  semicircular  towers.  Inside  there  is 
a  bazaar,  well  supplied  with  meat  (principally  mut- 
ton) by  the  neighboring  Bedouins,  and  wheat,  barley, 
and  dates  are  grown  near  the  town.  There  is  little 
to  describe  in  the  narrow  streets  and  the  mud  houses, 
which  are  essentially  Arab.  The  fields  around  are 
divided  into  little  square  plots  by  earthen  ridges  and 
stone  walls  ;  some  of  the  palms  are  fine  grown  trees, 
and  the  wells  appeared  numerous.  The  water  is 
near  the  surface  and  plentiful,  but  it  has  a  brackish 
taste,  highly  disagreeable  after  a  few  days'  use,  and 
the  effects  are  the  reverse  of  chalybeate. 

Seventeen  miles  beyond  El  Suwayrkiyah  is  the 
small  village  of  Sufayuah,  beyond  which  the  coun- 
try becomes  again  very  wild  and  barren.  Burton 
thus  describes  the  scenery  the  day  after  leaving 
Sufayuah :  "  This  day's  march  was  peculiarly  Ara- 
bia. It  was  a  desert  peopled  only  with  echoes — a 
place  of  death  for  what  little  there  is  to  die  in  it — 
a  wilderness  where,  to  use  my  companion's  phrase, 
there  is  nothing  but  He  (Allah).  Nature,  scalped, 
flayed,  discovered  her  anatomy  to  the  gazer's  eye. 
The  horizon  was  a  sea  of  mirage ;  gigantic  sand- 


BURTON'S  PILGRIMAGE  73 

columns  whirled  over  the  plain  ;  and  on  both  sides 
of  our  road  were  huge  piles  of  bare  rock  standing 
detached  upon  the  surface  of  sand  and  clay.  Here 
they  appeared  in  oval  lumps,  heaped  up  with  a  sem- 
blance of  symmetry ;  there  a  single  bowlder  stood, 
with  its  narrow  foundation  based  upon  a  pedestal  of 
low,  dome-shaped  rock.  All  are  of  a  pink  coarse- 
grained granite,  which  flakes  off  in  large  crusts 
under  the  influence  of  the  atmosphere." 

After  four  more  long  marches  the  caravan  reached 
a  station  called  El  Zaribah,  where  the  pilgrims 
halted  a  day  to  assume  the  iliram,  or  costume  which 
they  wear  on  approaching  Mecca.  They  were  now 
in  the  country  of  the  Utaybah  Bedouins,  the  most 
fierce  and  hostile  of  all  the  tribes  on  the  road.  Al- 
though only  two  marches,  or  fifty  miles,  from  Mecca, 
the  pilgrims  were  by  no  means  safe,  as  the  night 
after  they  left  Zaribah  testified.  While  threading 
a  narrow  pass  between  high  rocks,  in  the  twilight, 
there  was  a  sudden  discharge  of  musketry  and  some 
camels  dropped  dead.  The  Utaybah,  hidden  behind 
the  rocks  crowning  the  pass,  poured  down  an  irregular 
fire  upon  the  pilgrims,  who  were  panic-stricken  and 
fell  into  great  disorder.  The  Wahabees,  however, 
commenced  scaling  the  rocks,  and  very  soon  drove 
the  robbers  from  their  ambush.  The  caravan  then 
hurried  forward  in  great  disorder,  leaving  the  dead 
and  severely  wounded  lying  on  the  ground. 

"  At  the  beginning  of  the  skirmish,"  says  Burton, 
"  I  had  primed  my  pistols,  and  sat  with  them  ready 
for  use.  But  soon  seeing  that  there  was  nothing  to 
be  done,  and,  wishing  to  make  an  impression — no- 


74-  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

where  does  Bobadil  now  *  go  down '  but  in  the 
East — I  called  aloud  for  my  supper.  Shekh  Kur, 
exanimate  with  fear,  could  not  move.  The  boy  Mo- 
hammed ejaculated  only  an  '  Oh,  sir ! '  and  the 
people  around  exclaimed  in  disgust,  '  By  Allah  !  he 
eats ! '  Shekh  Abdullah,  the  Meccan,  being  a  man 
of  spirit,  was  amused  by  the  spectacle.  '  Are  these 
Afghan  manners,  Effendim  ? '  he  inquired  from  the 
shugduf  behind  me.  'Yes,'  I  replied  aloud,  'in 
my  country  we  always  dine  before  an  attack  of  rob- 
bers, because  that  gentry  is  in  the  habit  of  sending 
men  to  bed  supperless.'  The  Shekh  laughed  aloud, 
but  those  around  him  looked  offended." 

The  morning  after  this  adventure  the  pilgrims 
reached  the  Wady  Laymun,  or  Valley  of  Limes,  a 
beautiful  region  of  gardens  and  orchards,  only  twen- 
ty-four miles  from  Mecca.  Here  they  halted  four 
hours  to  rest  and  enjoy  the  fruits  and  fresh  water ; 
then  the  line  of  march  was  resumed  toward  the  Holy 
City.  In  the  afternoon  the  range  of  Jebel  Kora,  in 
the  southeast,  became  visible,  and  as  evening  ap- 
proached all  eyes  were  strained,  but  in  vain,  for  a 
sight  of  Mecca.  Night  came  down,  and  the  pilgrims 
moved  slowly  onward  in  the  darkness.  An  hour 
after  midnight  Burton  was  roused  by  a  general  ex- 
citement in  the  caravan.  "  Mecca  !  Mecca !  "  cried 
some  voices ;  "  The  Sanctuary,  O  the  Sanctuary  !  " 
exclaimed  others,  and  all  burst  into  loud  cries  of 
"  Ldbeyk  /"  not  unfrequently  broken  by  sobs.  Look- 
ing out  from  his  litter  the  traveller  saw  by  the 
light  of  the  southern  stars  the  dim  outlines  of  a 
large  city.  They  were  passing  over  the  last  rocky 


BURTON'S  PILGRIMAGE  75 

ridge  by  an  artificial  cut.  The  winding  path  was 
flanked  on  both  sides  by  high  watch  -  towers ;  a 
short  distance  farther  they  entered  the  northern  sub- 
urb. 

The  Meccan  boy  Mohammed,  who  had  been  Bur- 
ton's companion  during  the  pilgrimage,  conducted 
the  latter  to  his  mother's  house,  where  he  remained 
during  his  stay.  A  meal  of  vermicelli  and  sugar 
was  prepared  on  their  arrival  in  the  night,  and  after 
an  hour  or  two  of  sleep  they  rose  at  dawn,  in  order 
to  perform  the  ceremonies  of  arrival.  After  having 
bathed,  they  walked  in  their  pilgrim  garb  to  the 
Beit  Allah,  or  "  House  of  God." 

"  There,"  says  Burton,  "  there  at  last  it  lay,  the 
bourne  of  my  long  and  weary  pilgrimage,  realizing 
the  plans  and  hopes  of  many  and  many  a  year. 
The  mirage  Medium  of  fancy  invested  the  huge  cata- 
falque and  its  gloomy  pall  with  peculiar  charms. 
There  were  no  giant  fragments  of  hoar  antiquity  as 
in  Egypt,  no  remains  of  graceful  and  harmonious 
beauty  as  in  Greece  and  Italy,  no  barbaric  gorgeous- 
ness  as  in  the  buildings  of  India  ;  yet  the  view  was 
strange,  unique,  and  how  few  have  looked  upon  the 
celebrated  shrine !  I  may  truly  say,  that,  of  all  the 
worshippers  who  clung  weeping  to  the  curtain,  or 
who  pressed  their  beating  hearts  to  the  stone,  none 
felt  for  the  moment  a  deeper  emotion  than  did  the 
Hadji  from  the  far  north.  It  was  as  if  the  poetical 
legends  of  the  Arab  spoke  truth,  and  that  the  waving 
wings  of  angels,  not  the  sweet  breezes  of  morning, 
were  agitating  and  swelling  the  black  covering  of 
the  shrine.  But,  to  confess  humbling  truth,  theirs 


76  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

was  the  high  feeling  of  religions  enthusiasm,  mine 
was  the  ecstasy  of  gratified  pride." 

Burton's  description  of  the  Beit  Allah  and  the 
Kaaba  is  more  minute  and  careful  than  that  of 
Burckhardt,  but  does  not  differ  from  it  in  any  im- 
portant particular.  Neither  is  it  necessary  to  quote 
his  account  of  the  ceremonies  to  be  performed  by 
each  individual  pilgrim,  with  all  their  mechanical 
prostrations  and  repetitions.  His  account  of  the 
visit  to  the  famous  Black  Stone,  however,  is  both 
curious  and  amusing:  "For  a  long  time  I  stood  look- 
ing in  despair  at  the  swarming  crowd  of  Bedouin  and 
other  pilgrims  that  besieged  it.  But  the  boy  Mo- 
hammed was  equal  to  the  occasion.  During  our  cir- 
cuit he  had  displayed  a  fiery  zeal  against  heresy  and 
schism  by  foully  abusing  every  Persian  in  his  path, 
and  the  inopportune  introduction  of  hard  words  into 
his  pra}Ters  made  the  latter  a  strange  patchwork.  He 
might,  for  instance,  be  repeating  'and  I  take  refuge 
with  thee  from  ignominy  in  this  world,'  when,  '  O 
thou  rejected  one,  son  of  the  rejected  ! '  would  be 
the  interpolation  addressed  to  some  long-bearded 
Khorassani,  '  and  in  that  to  come — O  hog  and 
brother  of  a  hoggess ! '  And  so  he  continued  till 
I  wondered  that  no  one  dared  to  turn  and  rend  him. 
After  vainly  addressing  the  pilgrims,  of  whom  noth- 
ing could  be  seen  but  a  mosaic  of  occiputs  and 
shoulder-blades,  the  boy  Mohammed  collected  about  v 
half  a  dozen  stalwart  Meccans,  with  whose  assistance, 
by  sheer  strength,  we  wedged  our  way  into  the  thin 
and  light-legged  crowd.  The  Bedouins  turned  round 
upon  us  like  wildcats,  but  they  had  no  daggers.  The 


BURTON'S  PILGRIMAGE  77 

season  being  autumn,  they  had  not  swelled  them- 
selves with  milk  for  six  months ;  and  they  had  be- 
come such  living  mummies  that  I  could  have  man- 
aged single-handed  half  a  dozen  of  them.  After 

o  o 

thus  reaching  the  stone,  despite  popular  indignation, 
testified  by  impatient  shouts,  we  monopolized  the  use 
of  it  for  at  least  ten  minutes.  Whilst  kissing  it  and 
rubbing  hands  and  forehead  upon  it  I  narrowly  ob- 
served it,  and  came  away  persuaded  that  it  is  a  big 
aerolite." 

On  September  12th  the  pilgrims  set  out  for 
Mount  Arafat.  Three  miles  from  Mecca  th^re  is  a 
large  village  called  Muna,  noted  for  three  standing 
miracles — the  pebbles,  there  thrown  at  the  Devil, 
return  by  angelic  agency  to  whence  they  came  ;  dur- 
ing the  three  days  of  drying  meat  rapacious  birds 
and  beasts  cannot  prey  there,  and  flies  do  not  settle 
upon  the  articles  of  food  exposed  in  the  bazaars. 
Beyond  the  place  there  is  a  mosque  called  El  Khayf, 
where,  according  to  some  traditions,  Adam  is  buried, 
his  head  being  at  one  end  of  the  long  wall  and  his 
feet  at  the  other,  while  the  dome  is  built  over  his 
navel. 

"  Arafat,"  says  Burton,  "  is  about  a  six  hours'  march, 
or  twelve  miles,  on  the  Taif  road,  due  east  of  Mecca. 
We  arrived  there  in  a  shorter  time,  but  our  weary 
camels,  during  the  last  third  of  the  way,  frequently 
threw  themselves  upon  the  ground.  Human  beings 
suffered  more.  Between  Muna  and  Arafat  I  saw  no 
less  than  five  men  fall  down  and  die  upon  the  high- 
way ;  exhausted  and  moribund,  they  had  dragged 
themselves  out  to  give  up  the  ghost  where  it  departs  to 


78  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

instant  beatitude.  The  spectacle  showed  how  easy  it 
is  to  die  in  these  latitudes  ;  each  man  suddenly  stag- 
gered, fell  as  if  shot,  and,  after  a  brief  convulsion, 
lay  still  as  marble.  The  corpses  were  carefully  taken 
up,  and  carelessly  buried  that  same  evening,  in  a 
vacant  space  amongst  the  crowds  encamped  upon  the 
Arafat  plain. 

"  Nothing  can  be  more  picturesque  than  the  view 
the  mountain  affords  of  the  blue  peaks  behind,  and 
the  vast  encampment  scattered  over  the  barren 
yellow  plain  below.  On  the  north  lay  the  regularly 
pitched  camp  of  the  guards  that  defend  the  unarmed 
pilgrims.  To  the  eastward  was  the  Scherif  s  encamp- 
ment with  the  bright  rnahmals  and  the  gilt  knobs  of 
the  grander  pavilions ;  whilst,  on  the  southern  and 
western  sides,  the  tents  of  the  vulgar  crowded  the 
ground,  disposed  in  dowars,  or  circles,  for  penning 
cattle.  After  many  calculations,  I  estimated  the 
number  to  be  not  less  than  fifty  thousand,  of  all  ages 
and  both  sexes." 

After  the  sermon  on  Arafat,  which  Burton  de- 
scribes in  the  same  manner  as  Burckhardt,  the 
former  gives  an  account  of  the  subsequent  ceremony 
of  "stoning  the  Great  Devil"  near  the  village  of 
Muna  :  "'  The  Shaytan  el-Kabir'  is  a  dwarf  buttress 
of  rude  masonry,  about  eight  feet  high  by  two  and  a 
half  broad,  placed  against  a  rough  wall  of  stones,  at 
the  Meccan  entrance  to  Muna.  As  the  ceremony  of 
1  Ramy,'  or  Lapidation,  must  be  performed  on  the 
first  day  by  all  pilgrims  between  sunrise  and  sunset, 
and  as  the  Fiend  was  malicious  enough  to  appear  in  a 
rugged  pass,  the  crowd  makes  the  place  dangerous. 


BURTON'S  PILGRIMAGE  79 

On  one  side  of  the  road,  which  is  not  forty  feet 
broad,  stood  a  row  of  shops  belonging  principally  to 
barbers.  On  the  other  side  is  the  nigged  wall  of  the 
pillar,  with  a  chevaux  defrise  of  Bedouins  and  naked 
boys.  The  narrow  space  was  crowded  with  pilgrims, 
all  struggling  like  drowning  men  to  approach  as  near 
as  possible  to  the  Devil ;  it  would  have  been  easy 
to  run  over  the  heads  of  the  mass.  Amongst  them 
were  horsemen  with  rearing  chargers.  Bedouins  on 
wild  camels,  and  grandees  on  mules  and  asses,  with 
outrunners,  were  breaking  a  way  by  assault  and  bat- 
tery. I  had  read  Ali  Bey's  self-felicitations  upon  es- 
caping this  place  with  '  only  two  wounds  in  the  left 
leg,'  and  had  duly  provided  myself  with  a  hidden 
dagger.  The  precaution  was  not  useless.  Scarcely 
had  my  donkey  entered  the  crowd  than  he  was  over- 
thrown by  a  dromedary,  and  I  found  myself  under 
the  stamping  and  roaring  beast's  stomach.  By  a 
judicious  use  of  the  knife,  I  avoided  being  trampled 
upon,  and  lost  no  time  in  escaping  from  a  place  so 
ignobly  dangerous.  Finding  an  opening  at  last,  we 
approached  within  about  five  cubits  of  the  place, 
and  holding  each  stone  between  the  thumb  and  fore- 
finger of  the  ring  hand,  cast  it  at  the  pillar,  exclaim- 
ing :  '  In  the  name  of  Allah,  and  Allah  is  Almighty, 
1  do  this  in  hatred  of  the  Fiend  and  to  his  shame.' 
The  seven  stones  beiyg  duly  thrown,  we  retired,  and 
entering  the  barber's  booth,  took  our  places  upon  one 
of  the  earthen  benches  around  it.  This  was  the  time 
to  remove  the  i/iram  or  pilgrim's  garb,  and  to  return 
to  ihlal,  the  normal  state  of  El  Islam.  The  barber 
shaved  our  heads,  and,  after  trimming  our  beards 


80  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

and  cutting  our  nails,  made  us  repeat  these  words : 
'  I  purpose  loosening  my  ihram  according  to  the 
practice  of  the  Prophet,  whom  may  Allah  bless  and 
preserve !  O  Allah,  make  unto  me  in  every  hair  a 
light,  a  purity,  and  a  generous  reward  !  In  the  name 
of  Allah,  and  Allah  is  Almighty!'  At  the  conclu- 
sion of  his  labor  the  barber  politely  addressed  to  us  a 
'  Naiman ' — Pleasure  to  you !  To  which  we  as 
ceremoniously  replied,  '  Allah  give  thee  pleasure  ! ' ' 
We  will  conclude  these  quotations  from  Burton's 
narrative  with  his  description  of  a  sermon  in  the 
great  mosque  of  Mecca.  "  After  returning  to  the 
city  from  the  sacrifice  of  sheep  in  the  valley  of  Muna, 
we  bathed,  and  when  noon  drew  nigh  we  repaired  to 
the  Haram  for  the  purpose  of  hearing  the  sermon. 
Descending  to  the  cloisters  below  the  Bab  el-Ziyadah, 
I  stood  wonderstruck  by  the  scene  before  me.  The 
vast  quadrangle  was  crowded  with  worshippers  sitting 
in  long  rows,  and  everywhere  facing  the  central  black 
tower  ;  the  showy  colors  of  their  dresses  were  not  to 
be  sin-passed  by  a  garden  of  the  most  brilliant  flow- 
ers, and  such  diversity  of  detail  would  probably  not 
be  seen  massed  together  in  any  other  building  upon 
earth.  The  women,  a  dull  and  sombre-looking  group, 
sat  apart  in  their  peculiar  place.  The  Pasha  stood  on 
the  roof  of  Zem  Zem,  surrounded  by  guards  in  Ni- 
zam uniform.  Where  the  principal  ulema  stationed 
themselves  the  crowd  was  thicker ;  and  in  the  more 
auspicious  spots  naught  was  to  be  seen  but  a  pave- 
ment of  heads  and  shoulders.  Nothing  seemed  to 
move  but  a  few  dervishes,  who,  censer  in  hand,  sidled 
through  the  rows  and  received  the  unsolicited  alms 


COSTUME   OF   PILGRIMS    TO    MECCA. 


BURTON'S  PILGRIMAGE  81 

of  the  faithful.  Apparently  in  the  midst,  and  raised 
above  the  crowd  by  the  tall,  pointed  pulpit,  whose 
gilt  spire  flamed  in  the  sun,  sat  the  preacher,  an  old 
man  with  snowy  beard.  The  style  of  head-dress 
called  '  taylasan '  covered  his  turban,  which  was 
white  as  his  robes,  and  a  short  staff  supported  his 
left  hand.  Presently  he  arose,  took  the  staff  in  his 
right  hand,  pronounced  a  few  inaudible  words,  and 
sat  down  again  on  one  of  the  lower  steps,  whilst  a 
Muezzin,  at  the  foot  of  the  pulpit,  recited  the  call  to 
sermon.  Then  the  old  man  stood  up  and  began  to 
preach.  As  the  majestic  figure  began  to  exert  it- 
self there  was  a  deep  silence.  Presently  a  general 
'  Amin  '  was  intoned  by  the  crowd  at  the  conclusion 
of  some  long  sentence.  And  at  last,  toward  the  end 
of  the  sermon,  every  third  or  fourth  word  was  fol- 
lowed by  the  simultaneous  rise  and  fall  of  thousands 
of  voices. 

"  I  have  seen  the  religious  ceremonies  of  many 
lands,  but  never — nowhere — aught  so  solemn,  so  im- 
pressive as  this  spectacle." 

Finding  that  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  under- 
take the  journey  across  Central  Arabia,  both  for  lack 
of  time  and  the  menacing  attitude  of  the  Desert  tribes, 
Burton  left  Mecca  for  Jedda  at  the  end  of  Septem- 
ber. Starting  in  the  afternoon,  the  chance  caravan 
of  returning  pilgrims  reached,  about  midnight,  a  mass 
of  huts  called  El  Hadda,  which  is  the  usual  half-way 
halting-place.  It  is  maintained  solely  for  the  pur- 
pose of:  supplying  travellers  with  coffee  and  water. 
Here  the  country  slopes  gradually  toward  the  sea, 
the  hills  recede,  and  every  feature  denotes  departure 


82  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

from  the  upland  plateau  of  Mecca.  After  reaching 
here,  and  at  some  solitary  coffee-houses  farther  on 
the  way,  the  pilgrims  reached  Jedda  safely  at  eight 
in  the  morning. 

From  this  place  Burton  took  passage  on  a  steamer 
for  Suez,  and  returned  to  Cairo,  but  without  the 
Meccan  boy,  Mohammed,  who  began  to  have  a  sus- 
picion of  his  true  character,  after  seeing  him  in  com- 
pany with  some  English  officers,  and  who  left  him 
before  embarking. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

PALGRAVE'S    TRAVELS    IN     CENTRAL    ARABIA:     FROM 
PALESTINE   TO   THE  DJOWF 

MR.  WILLIAM  GIFFORD  PALGRAVE,  son 
of  Sir  Francis  Palgrave,  the  historian,  per- 
formed, in  1862-63,  a  journey  in  Arabia,  which  gives 
us  the  first  clear  and  full  account  of  the  interior  of 
the  country,  including  the  great  Wahabee  state  of 
Nedjed,  the  early  home  of  Arabian  poetry  and  also 
of  the  famous  Arabian  breed  of  horses.  Mr.  Pal- 
grave's  qualifications  for  the  undertaking  were  in 
some  respects  superior  to  those  of  either  Burckhardt 
or  Burton.  To  a  high  degree  of  general  culture  and 
a  vigorous  and  picturesque  style  as  a  writer,  he  added 
a  knowledge  of  the  Arabic  language  and  literature 
equal  to  that  of  any  native  scholar ;  he  spoke  the 
language  as  well  as  his  mother  tongue  ;  his  features 
were  sufficiently  Oriental  to  disarm  suspicion,  and 
years  of  residence  in  the  East  had  rendered  him  en- 
tirely familiar  with  the  habits  of  the  people  and 
even  with  all  those  minor  forms  of  etiquette  which 
are  so  rarely  acquired  by  a  stranger.  His  narrative, 
therefore,  is  as  admirable  and  satisfactory  in  its  char- 
acter as  the  fields  he  traversed  were  new  and  fasci- 
nating. It  throws,  indeed,  so  much  indirect  light 
upon  the  experiences  of  all  his  predecessors,  and  is  so 


84  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

much  richer  in  its  illustrations  of  Arab  life  and  char- 
acter that  no  brief  summary  of  its  contents  can  do 
justice  to  its  importance. 

Of  the  first  stage  of  the  journey,  from  Gaza  on  the 
Mediterranean  to  the  little  town  of  Ma'an,  which  lies 


William  Gifford  Palgrave. 

on  the  route  of  the  caravans  from  Damascus  to 
Mecca,  a  short  distance  to  the  northeast  of  Petra,  and 
thus  nearly  on  the  boundary  between  the  country  of 
Moab  and  Edom,  Palgrave  gives  us  no  account.  Yet, 
in  spite  of  the  comparatively  brief  distance  traversed, 
it  must  have  been  both  laborious  and  dangerous. 
His  narrative  commences  as  follows,  at  the  moment 
of  his  departure  from  Ma'an  : 


PALGRAVE'S  TRAVELS  85 

"  Once  for  all  let  us  attempt  to  acquire  a  fairly 
correct  and  comprehensive  knowledge  of  the  Arabian 
Peninsula.  With  its  coasts  we  are  already  in  great 
measure  acquainted  ;  several  of  its  maritime  prov- 
inces have  been,  if  not  thoroughly,  at  least  suffi- 
ciently, explored  ;  Yemen  and  Hedjaz,  Mecca  and 
Medina,  are  no  longer  mysteries  to  us,  nor  are  we 
wholly  without  information  on  the  districts  of  Ha- 
dramaut  and  Oman.  But  of  the  interior  of  the  vast 
region,  of  its  plains  and  mountains,  its  tribes  and 
cities,  of  its  governments  and  institutions,  of  its  in- 
habitants, their  ways  and  customs,  of  their  social 
condition,  how  far  advanced  in  civilization  or  sunk  in 
barbarism,  what  do  we  as  yet  really  know,  save  from 
accounts  necessarily  wanting  in  fulness  and  precision  ? 
It  is  time  to  fill  up  this  blank  in  the  map  of  Asia, 
and  this,  at  whatever  risks,  we  will  now  endeavor ; 
either  the  land  before  us  shall  be  our  tomb,  or  we 
will  traverse  it  in  its  fullest  breadth,  and  know  what 
it  contains  from  shore  to  shore.  Vestigia  nulla  re- 
trorsum" 

"  Such  were  my  thoughts,  and  such,  more  or  less, 
I  should  suppose,  those  of  my  companion,  when  we 
found  ourselves  at  fall  of  night  without  the  eastern 
gate  of  Ma'an,  while  the  Arabs,  our  guides  and  fel- 
low-travellers, filled  their  water-skins  from  a  gushing 
source  hard  by  the  town  walls,  and  adjusted  the  sad- 
dles and  the  burdens  of  their  camels,  in  preparation 
for  the  long  journey  that  lay  before  us  and  them. 
It  was  the  evening  of  June  16,  1862 ;  the  largest 
stars  were  already  visible  in  the  deep  blue  depths  of 
a  cloudless  sky,  while  the  crescent  moon,  high  to  the 


86  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

west,  shone  as  she  shines  in  those  heavens,  and  prom- 
ised us  assistance  for  some  hours  of  onr  night  march. 
We  were  soon  mounted  on  our  meagre  long-necked 
beasts,  '  as  if,'  according  to  the  expression  of  an 
Arab  poet,  '  we  and  our  men  were  at  mast-heads,' 
and  now  we  set  our  faces  to  the  east.  Behind  us  lay, 
in  a  mass  of  dark  outline,  the  walls  and  castle  of 
Ma'an,  its  houses  and  gardens,  and  farther  back  in 
the  distance  the  high  and  barren  range  of  the 
Sheraa'  Mountains,  merging  into  the  coast  chain  of 
Hejaz.  Before  and  around  us  extended  a  wide  and 
level  plain,  blackened  over  with  countless  pebbles  of 
basalt  and  flint,  except  where  the  moonbeams  gleamed 
white  on  little  intervening  patches  of  clear  sand,  or 
on  yellowish  streaks  of  withered  grass,  the  scanty 
product  of  the  winter  rains,  and  dried  now  into  hay. 
Over  all  a  deep  silence,  which  even  our  Arab  compan- 
ions seemed  fearful  of  breaking  ;  when  they  spoke  it 
was  in  a  half  whisper  and  in  a  few  words,  while  the 
noiseless  tread  of  our  camels  sped  stealthily  but  rapid- 
ly through  the  gloom  without  disturbing  its  stillness. 
"  Some  precaution  was  not  indeed  wholly  out  of 
place,  for  that  stage  of  the  journey  on  which  we  were 
now  entering  was  anything  but  safe.  We  were  bound 
for  the  Djowf,  the  nearest  inhabited  district  of  Cen- 
tral Arabia,  its  outlying  station,  in  fact.  Kow  the  in- 
tervening tract  offered  for  the  most  part  the  double 
danger  of  robbers  and  of  thirst,  of  marauding  bands 
and  of  the  summer  season.  The  distance  itself  to  be 
traversed  was  near  two  hundred  miles  in  a  straight 
line,  and  unavoidable  circumstances  were  likely  to 
fender  it  much  longer." 


PALG RAVE'S  TRAVELS  87 

Palgrave's  companion  was  a  native  Syrian,  named 
Barakat — a  man  on  whom  he  could  fully  rely. 
Hardy,  young,  and  enterprising,  lie  belonged  to  a  lo- 
cality whose  inhabitants  are  accustomed  to  danger. 
But  the  Bedouins  who  furnished  the  camels,  and 
acted  as  guides,  were  of  another  class.  They  were 
three  in  number — Salim,  their  leader,  a  member  of  a 
powerful  family  of  the  Howeytat  tribe,  but  outlawed 
for  pillage  and  murder,  and  two  rnen,  Alee  and 
Djordee,  utter  barbarians  in  appearance  no  less  than 
in  character.  Even  Salim  advised  the  travellers  to 
avoid  all  familiarities  with  the  latter. 

"  Myself  and  my  companion,"  says  Palgrave, "  were 
dressed  like  ordinary  class  travellers  of  inner  Syria, 
an  equipment  in  which  we  had  already  made  our  way 
from  Gaza  on  the  sea-coast  to  Ma'an  without  much 
remark  or  unseasonable  questioning  from  those  whom 
we  fell  in  with,  while  we  traversed  a  country  so  often 
described  already  by  Pococke,  Laborde,  and  down- 
ward, under  the  name  of  Arabia  Petra,  that  it  would 
be  superfluous  for  me  to  enter  into  any  new  account 
of  it  in  the  present  work.  Our  dress,  then,  consisted 
partly  of  a  long  stout  blouse  of  Egyptian  hemp,  under 
which,  unlike  our  Bedouin  fellow-travellers,  we  in- 
dulged in  the  luxury  of  the  loose  cotton  drawers  com- 
mon in  the  East,  while  our  colored  head-kerchiefs, 
though  simple  enough,  were  girt  by  'akkals  or  head- 
bands of  some  pretension  to  elegance ;  the  loose  ^ 
red-leather  boots  of  the  country  completed  our  toi- 
let. 

"  But  in  the  large  travelling-sacks  at  our  camels' 
sides  were  contained  suits  of  a  more  elegant  appear- 


88  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

ance,  carefully  concealed  from  Bedouin  gaze,  but 
destined  for  appearance  when  we  should  reach  better 
inhabited  and  more  civilized  districts.  This  reserve 
toilet  numbered  articles  like  the  following :  colored 
overdresses,  the  Syrian  combaz,  handkerchiefs  whose 
silk  stripes  relieved  the  plebeian  cotton,  and  girdles 
of  good  material  and  tasteful  coloring ;  such  clothes 
being  absolutely  requisite  to  maintain  our  assumed 
character.  Mine  was  that  of  a  native  travelling  doc- 
tor, a  quack  if  you  will ;  and  accordingly  a  tolerable 
dress  was  indispensable  for  the  credit  of  my  medical 
practice.  My  comrade,  who  in  a  general  way  passed 
for  my  brother-in-law,  appeared  sometimes  as  a  retail 
merchant,  such  as  not  unfrequently  visit  these  coun- 
tries, and  sometimes  as  pupil  or  associate  in  my  as- 
sumed profession. 

"  Our  pharmacopoeia  consisted  of  a  few  but  well 
selected  and  efficacious  drugs,  inclosed  in  small  tight- 
fitting  tin  boxes,  stowed  away  for  the  present  in  the 
ample  recesses  of  our  travelling  bags  ;  about  fifty  of 
these  little  cases  contained  the  wherewithal  to  kill  or 
cure  half  the  sick  men  of  Arabia.  Medicines  of  a 
liquid  form  had  been  as  much  as  possible  omitted, 
not  only  from  the  difficulty  of  insuring  them  a  safe 
transport  amid  so  rough  a  mode  of  journeying,  but 
also  on  account  of  the  rapid  evaporation  unavoidable 
in  this  dry  and  burning  climate.  In  fact  two  or 
three  small  bottles  whose  contents  had  seemed  to  me 
of  absolute  necessity,  soon  retained  nothing  save  their 
labels  to  indicate  what  they  had  held,  in  spite  of  air- 
tight stoppers  and  double  coverings.  I  record  this, 
because  the  hint  may  be  useful  to  anyone  who  should 


PALG RAVE'S  TRAVELS  89 

be  inclined  to  embark  in  similar  guise  on  the  same 
adventures. 

"  Some  other  objects  requisite  in  medical  practice, 
two  or  three  European  books  for  my  own  private  use, 
and  kept  carefully  secret  from  Arab  curiosity,  with  a 
couple  of  Esculapian  treatises  in  good  Arabic,  in- 
tended for  professional  ostentation,  completed  this 
part  of  our  fitting-out.  But  besides  these,  an  ample 
provision  of  cloth  handkerchiefs,  glass  necklaces, 
pipe- bowls,  and  the  like,  for  sale  in  whatever  locali- 
ties might  not  offer  sufficient  facility  for  the  healing 
art,  filled  up  our  saddle-bags  well  nigh  to  bursting. 
Last,  but  not  least,  two  large  sacks  of  coffee,  the 
sheet-anchor  and  main  hope  of  our  commerce,  formed 
alone  a  sufficient  load  for  a  vigorous  camel." 

The  first  days  of  travel  were  a  monotony  of  heat 
and  desolation.  The  deceptive  lakes  of  the  mirage 
covered  the  tawny  plain,  and  every  dark  basaltic 
block,  lying  here  and  there  at  random,  was  magni- 
fied into  a  mountain  in  the  heated  atmosphere. 
"  Dreary  land  of  death,  in  which  even  the  face  of  an 
enemy  were  almost  a  relief  amid  such  utter  solitude. 
But  for  five  whole  days  the  little  dried-up  lizard  of 
the  plain  that  looks  as  if  he  had  never  a  drop  of 
moisture  in  his  ugly  body,  and  the  jerboa,  or  field - 
rat  of  Arabia,  were  the  only  living  creatures  to  con- 
sole our  view. 

"  It  was  a  march  during  which  we  might  have 
almost  repented  of  our  enterprise,  had  such  a  sen- 
timent been  any  longer  possible  or  availing.  Day 
after  day  found  us  urging  our  camels  to  their  utmost 
pace  for  fifteen  or  sixteen  hours  together  out  of  the 

7 


90  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

twenty-four,  under  a  well  nigh  vertical  sun,  which 
the  Ethiopians  of  Herodotus  might  reasonably  be  ex- 
cused for  cursing,  with  nothing  either  in  the  land- 
scape around  or  in  the  companions  of  our  way  to  re- 
lieve for  a  moment  the  eye  or  the  mind.  Then  an 
insufficient  halt  for  rest  or  sleep,  at  most  of  two  or 
three  hours,  soon  interrupted  by  the  oft-repeated 
admonition,  '  if  we  linger  here  we  all  die  of  thirst,' 
sounding  in  our  ears  ;  and  then  to  remount  our  jaded 
beasts  and  push  them  on  through  the  dark  night, 
amid  the  constant  probability  of  attack  and  plunder 
from  roving  marauders.  For  myself,  I  \vas,  to  mend 
matters,  under  the  depressing  influence  of  a  tertian 
fever  contracted  at  Ma'an,  and  what  between  weari- 
ness and  low  spirits,  began  to  imagine  seriously  that 
no  waters  remained  before  us  except  the  waters  of 
death  for  us  and  of  oblivion  for  our  friends.  The 
days  wore  by  like  a  delirious  dream,  till  we  were 
often  almost  unconscious  of  the  ground  we  travelled 
over  and  the  journey  on  which  we  were  engaged. 
One  only  herb  appeared  at  our  feet  to  give  some  ap- 
pearance of  variety  and  life  ;  it  was  the  bitter  and 
poisonous  colocynth  of  the  desert. 

"  Our  order  of  road  was  this  :  Long  before  dawn 
we  were  on  our  way,  and  paced  it  till  the  sun,  having 
attained  about  half-way  between  the  horizon  and  the 
zenith,  assigned  the  moment  of  alighting  for  our 
morning  meal.'  This  our  Bedouins  always  took  good 
care  should  be  in  some  hollow  or  low  ground,  for 
concealment's  sake ;  in  every  other  respect  we  had 
ample  liberty  of  choice,  for  one  patch  of  black  peb- 
bles with  a  little  sand  and  withered  grass  between 


PALGRAVE'S  TRAVELS  91 

was  just  like  another  ;  shade  or  shelter,  or  anything 
like  them,  was  wholly  out  of  the  question  in  such 
*  nakedness  of  the  land.'  We  then  alighted,  and  my 
companion  and  myself  would  pile  np  the  baggage 
into  a  sort  of  wall,  to  afford  a  half -screen  from  the 
scorching  sun-rays,  and  here  recline  awhile.  Next 
came  the  culinary  preparations,  in  perfect  accordance 
with  our  provisions,  which  were  simple  enough ; 
namely,  a  bag  of  coarse  flour  mixed  with  salt  and  a 
few  dried  dates  ;  there  was  no  third  item  on  the  bill 
of  fare.  We  now  took  a  few  handfuls  of  flour,  and 
one  of  the  Bedouins  kneaded  it  with  his  unwashed 
hands  or  dirty  bit  of  leather,  pouring  over  it  a  little 
of  the  dingy  water  contained  in  the  skins,  and  then 
patted  out  this  exquisite  paste  into  a  large  round 
cake,  about  an  inch  thick  and  five  or  six  inches 
across.  Meanwhile  another  had  lighted  a  fire  of 
dry  grass,  colocynth  roots,  and  dried  camels'  dung, 
till  he  had  prepared  a  bed  of  glowing  embers  ;  among 
these  the  cake  was  now  cast,  and  immediately  cov- 
ered up  with  hot  ashes,  and  so  left  for  a  few  min- 
utes, then  taken  out,  turned,  and  covered  again,  till 
at  last,  half  -  kneaded,  half  -  raw,  half  -  roasted,  and 
burnt  all  round,  it  was  taken  out  to  be  broken  up 
between  the  hungry  band,  and  eaten  scalding  hot, 
before  it  should  cool  into  an  indescribable  leathery 
substance,  capable  of  defying  the  keenest  appetite. 
A  draught  of  dingy  water  was  its  sole  but  suitable 
accompaniment. 

"  The  meal  ended,  we  had  again  without  loss  of 
time  to  resume  our  way  from  mirage  to  mirage,  till 
'  slowly  flaming  over  all,  from  heat  to  heat,  the  day 


92  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

decreased,'  and  about  an  hour  before  sunset  we  would 
stagger  off  our  camels  as  best  we  might,  to  prepare 
an  evening  feast  of  precisely  the  same  description  as 
that  of  the  forenoon,  or  more  often,  for  fear  lest  the 
smoke  of  our  fire  should  give  notice  to  some  distant 
rover,  to  content  ourselves  with  dry  dates,  and  half 
an  hour's  rest  on  the  sand.  At  last  our  dates,  like 
^Esop's  bread-sack,  or  that  of  Beyhas,  his  Arab  proto- 
type, came  to  an  end  ;  and  then  our  supper  was  a 
soldier's  one  ;  what  that  is  my  military  friends  will 
know ;  but,  grit  and  pebbles  excepted,  there  was  no 
bed  in  our  case.  After  which,  to  remount,  and 
travel  on  by  moon  or  starlight,  till  a  little  before 
midnight  we  would  lie  down  for  just  enough  sleep  to 
tantalize,  not  refresh. 

"  It  was  now  the  22d  of  June,  and  the  fifth  day 
since  our  departure  from  the  wells  of  Wokba.  The 
water  in  the  skins  had  little  more  to  offer  to  our 
thirst  than  muddy  dregs,  and  as  yet  no  sign  ap- 
peared of  a  fresh  supply.  At  last  about  noon  we 
drew  near  some  hillocks  of  loose  gravel  and  sand- 
stone a  little  on  our  right ;  our  Bedouins  conversed 
together  awhile,  and  then  turned  their  course  and 
ours  in  that  direction.  *  Hold  fast  on  your  camels, 
for  they  are  going  to  be  startled  and  jump  about,' 
said  Salim  to  us.  Why  the  camels  should  be  startled 
I  could  not  understand ;  when,  on  crossing  the 
mounds  just  mentioned,  we  suddenly  came  on  five 
or  six  black  tents,  of  the  very  poorest  description, 
pitched  near  some  wells  excavated  in  the  gravelly 
hollow  below.  The  reason  of  Salim's  precautionary 
hint  now  became  evident,  for  our  silly  beasts  started 


PALGRAVE'S  TRAVELS  93 

at  first  sight  of  the  tents,  as  though  they  had  never 
seen  the  like  before,  and  then  scampered  about, 
bounding  friskily  here  and  there,  till  what  between 
their  jolting  (for  a  camel's  run  much  resembles  that 
of  a  cow)  and  our  own  laughing,  we  could  hardly 
keep  on  their  backs.  However,  thirst  soon  prevailed 
over  timidity,  and  they  left  off  their  pranks  to  ap- 
proach the  well's  edge  and  sniff  at  the  water  be- 
low." 

The  inhabitants  of  the  tents  showed  the  ordinary 
curiosity,  but  were  not  unfriendly,  and  the  little 
caravan  rested  there  for  the  remainder  of  the  day. 
A  further  jonrnej7  of  two  days  over  a  region  of  sand- 
hills, with  an  occasional  well,  still  intervened  before 
they  could  reach  Wady  Sirhan — a  long  valley  run- 
ning directly  to  the  populated  region  of  the  Djowf. 
While  passing  over  this  intermediate  region  an  inci- 
dent occurred  which  had  wellnigh  put  a  premature 
end  to  the  travels  and  the  travellers  together.  "  My 
readers,  no  less  than  myself,"  says  Palgrave,  "  must 
have  heard  or  read  many  a  story  of  the  simoom,  or 
deadly  wind  of  the  desert,  but  for  me  I  had  never  yet 
met  it  in  full  force ;  and  its  modified  form,  or  she- 
look,  to  use  the  Arab  phrase,  that  is,  the  sirocco  of 
the  Syrian  waste,  though  disagreeable  enough,  can 
hardly  ever  be  termed  dangerous.  Hence  I  had 
been  almost  inclined  to  set  down  the  tales  told  of 
the  strange  phenomena  and  fatal  effects  of  this  '  poi- 
soned gale '  in  the  same  category  with  the  moving 
pillars  of  sand,  recorded  in  many  works  of  higher 
historical  pretensions  than  '  Thalaba.'  At  those  per- 
ambulatory  columns  and  sand-smothered  caravans  the 


94  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

Bedouins,  whenever  I  interrogated  them  on  the  sub- 
ject, laughed  outright,  and  declared  that  beyond  an 
occasional  dust-storm,  similar  to  those  which  anyone 
who  has  passed  a  summer  in  Scinde  can  hardly  fail 
to  have  experienced,  nothing  of  the  romantic  kind 
just  alluded  to  occurred  in  Arabia.  But  when  ques- 
tioned about  the  simoom,  they  always  treated  it  as  a 
much  more  serious  matter,  and  such  in  real  earnest 
we  now  found  it. 

'•  It  was  about  noon,  the  noon  of  a  summer  solstice 
in  the  unclouded  Arabian  sky  over  a  scorched  desert, 
when  abrupt  and  burning  gusts  of  wind  began  to 
blow  by  fits  from  the  south,  while  the  oppressiveness 
of  the  air  increased  every  moment,  till  my  companion 
and  myself  mutually  asked  each  other  what  this  could 
mean,  and  what  was  to  be  its  result.  We  turned  to 
inquire  of  Salim,  but  he  had  already  wrapped  up  his 
face  in  his  mantle,  and  bowed  down  and  crouching 
on  the  neck  of  his  camel,  replied  not  a  word.  His 
comrades,  the  two  Sherarat  Bedouins,  had  adopted  a 
similar  position,  and  were  equally  silent.  At  last, 
after  repeated  interrogations,  Salim,  instead  of  reply- 
ing directly  to  our  questioning,  pointed  to  a  small 
black  tent,  providentially  at  no  great  distance  in 
front,  and  said:  'Try  to  reach  that;  if  we  can  get 
there  we  are  saved.'  He  added :  '  Take  care  that 
your  camels  do  not  stop  and  lie  down; 'and  then, 
giving  his  own  several  vigorous  blows,  relapsed  into 
muffled  silence. 

"  We  looked  anxiously  toward  the  tent ;  it  was  yet 
a  hundred  yards  off,  or  more.  Meanwhile  the  gusts 
grew  hotter  and  more  violent,  and  it  was  only  by  re- 


PA  LC  HA  VK  'X    Tit  A  VK1.S  95 

peated  efforts  that  \ve  could  urge  our  beasts  forward. 
The  horizon  rapidly  darkened  to  a  deep  violet  hue, 
and  seemed  to  draw  in  like  a  curtain  on  every  side, 
while  at  the  same  time  a  stifling  blast,  as  though 
from  some  enormous  oven  opening  right  on  our  path, 
blew  steadily  under  the  gloom ;  our  camels,  too,  be- 
gan, in  spite  of  all  we  could  do,  to  turn  round  and 
round  and  bend  their  knees,  preparing  to  lie  down. 
The  simoom  was  fairly  upon  us. 

"  Of  course  we  had  followed  our  Arabs'  example 
by  muffling  our  faces,  and  now  with  blows  and  kicks 
we  forced  the  staggering  animals  onward  to  the  only 
asylum  within  reach.  So  dark  was  the  atmosphere, 
and  so  burning  the  heat,  that  it  seemed  that  hell  had 
risen  from  the  earth,  or  descended  from  above.  But 
we  were  yet  in  time,  and  at  the  moment  when  the 
worst  of  the  concentrated  poison-blast  was  coming 
around,  we  were  already  prostrate,  one  and  all,  with- 
in the  tent,  with  our  heads  well  wrapped  up,  almost 
suffocated,  indeed,  but  safe ;  while  our  camels  lay 
without  like  dead,  their  long  necks  stretched  out  on 
the  sand,  awaiting  the  passing  of  the  gale. 

"  On  our  first  arrival  the  tent  contained  a  solitary 
Bedouin  woman,  whose  husband  was  away  with  his 
camels  in  the  Wady  Sirhan.  When  she  saw  five 
handsome  men  like  us  rush  thus  suddenly  into  her 
dwelling  without  a  word  of  leave  or  salutation,  she 
very  properly  set  up  a  scream  to  the  tune  of  the  four 
crown  pleas — murder,  arson,  robbery,  and  I  know  not 
what  else.  Salim  hastened  to  reassure  her  by  calling 
out  '  friends,'  and  without  more  words  threw  himself 
flat  on  the  ground.  All  followed  his  example  in  silence. 


96  TRAVEL*  IX  A  U  ART  A 

"  We  remained  thus  for  about  ten  minutes,  during 
which  a  still  heat  like  that  of  red-hot  iron  slowly 
passing  over  us  was  alone  to  be  felt.  Then  the  tent 
walls  began  again  to  flap  in  the  returning  gusts,  and 
announced  that  the  worst  of  the  simoom  had  gone  by. 
We  got  up,  half  dead  with  exhaustion,  and  unmuffled 
our  faces.  My  comrades  appeared  more  like  corpses 
than  living  men,  and  so,  I  suppose,  did  I.  However, 
I  could  not  forbear,  in  spite  of  warnings,  to  step  out 
and  look  at  the  camels;  they  were  still  lying  flat  as 
though  they  had  been  shot.  The  air  was  yet  dark- 
ish, but  before  long  it  brightened  up  to  its  usual 
dazzling  clearness.  During  the  whole  time  that  the 
simoom  lasted,  the  atmosphere  was  entirely  free  from 
sand  or  dust,  so  that  I  hardly  know  how  to  account 
for  its  singular  obscurity." 

"  Late  in  the  evening  we  continued  our  way,  and 
next  day  early  entered  Wady  Sirhan,  where  the  char- 
acter of  our  journey  underwent  a  considerable  modi- 
fication ;  for  the  northerly  Arabian  desert,  which  we 
are  now  traversing,  offers,  in  spite  of  all  its  dreari- 
ness, some  spots  of  comparatively  better  cast,  where 
water  is  less  scanty  and  vegetation  less  niggard. 
These  spots  are  the  favorite  resorts  of  Bedouins,  and 
serve,  too,  to  direct  the  ordinary  routes  of  whatever 
travellers,  trade- led  or  from  other  motives,  may  vent- 
ure on  this  wilderness.  These  oases,  if  indeed  they 
deserve  the  name,  are  formed  by  a  slight  depression 
in  the  surrounding  desert  surface,  and  take  at  times 
the  form  of  a  long  valley,  or  of  an  oblong  patch, 
where  rock  and  pebble  give  place  to  a  light  soil  more 
or  less  intermixed  with  sand,  and  concealing  under 


PALGRAVK  >•   TR.\\'ELS  97 

its  surface  a  tolerable  supply  of  moisture  at  no  great 
distance  below  ground.  Here,  in  consequence,  bushes 
and  herbs  spring  up,  and  grass,  if  not  green  all  the 
year  round,  is  at  least  of  somewhat  longer  duration 
than  elsewhere ;  certain  fruit-bearing  plants,  of  a 
nature  to  suffice  for  meagre  Bedouin  existence,  grow 
here  spontaneously  ;  in  a  word,  man  and  beast  find 
not  exactly  comfortable  accommodation,  but  the  ab- 
solutely needful  supply.  Such  a  spot  is  Wady  Sir- 
han,  literally, '  the  Valley  of  the  Wolf.' " 

They  entered  Wady  Sirhan  on  June  21st.  "Pass- 
ing tent  after  tent,  and  leaving  behind  us  many  a 
tattered  Bedouin  and  grazing  camel,  Salim  at  last  in- 
dicated to  us  a  group  of  habitations,  two  or  three  of 
which  seemed  of  somewhat  more  ample  dimensions 
than  the  rest,  and  informed  us  that  our  supper  that 
night  (for  the  afternoon  was  already  on  the  decline) 
would  be  at  the  cost  of  these  dwellings.  'Ajaweed,' 
i.e.,  '  generous  fellow,'  he  subjoined,  to  encourage  us 
by  the  prospect  of  a  handsome  reception.  Of  course 
we  could  only  defer  to  his  better  judgment,  and  in  a 
few  minutes  were  alongside  of  the  black  goats'  hair 
coverings  where  lodged  our  intended  hosts. 

o  o 

"  The  chief  or  chieflet,  for  such  he  was,  came  out, 
and  interchanged  a  few  words  of  masonic  laconism 
with  Salim.  The  latter  then  came  up  to  us  where 
we  remained  halted  in  expectation,  led  our  camels  to 
a  little  distance  from  the  tents,  made  them  kneel 
down,  helped  us  to  disburden  them,  and  while  we 
installed  ourselves  on  a  sandy  slope  opposite  to  the 
abodes  of  the  tribe,  recommended  us  to  keep  a  sharp 
lookout  after  our  baggage,  since  there  might  be  pick- 


98  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

ers  and  stealers  among  our  hosts,  for  all  '  Ajaweed  ' 
as  they  were.  Disagreeable  news !  for  '  Ajaweed  '  in 
an  Arab  mouth  corresponds  the  nearest  possible  to 
our  English  'gentlemen.'  Now,  if  the  gentlemen 
were  thieves,  what  must  the  blackguards  be  ?  "\Ve 
put  a  good  face  on  it,  and  then  seated  ourselves  in 
dignified  gravity  on  the  sand  awaiting  the  further 
results  of  our  guide's  negotiations. 

"  For  some  time  we  remained  undisturbed,  though 
not  unnoticed  ;  a  group  of  Arabs  had  collected  round 
our  companions  at  the  tent  door,  and  were  engaged 
in  getting  from  them  all  possible  information,  espe- 
cially about  us  and  our  baggage,  which  last  was  an 
object  of  much  curiosity,  not  to  say  cupidity.  Next 
came  our  turn.  The  chief,  his  family  (women  ex- 
cepted),  his  intimate  followers,  and  some  twenty 
others,  young  and  old,  boys  and  men,  came  up,  and, 
after  a  brief  salutation,  Bedouinwise  seated  them- 
selves in  a  semicircle  before  UP.  Every  man  held  a 
short  crooked  stick  for  camel-driving  in  his  hand,  to 
gesticulate  with  when  speaking,  or  to  play  with  in 
the  intervals  of  conversation,  while  the  younger 
members  of  society,  less  prompt  in  discourse,  po- 
litely employed  their  leisure  in  staring  at  us,  or  in 
picking  up  dried  pellets  of  dirt  from  the  sand  and 
tossing  them  about." 

"  '  What  are  you  ?  what  is  your  business  ? '  so 
runs  the  ordinary  and  unprefaced  opening  of  the  dis- 
course. To  which  we  answer,  '  Physicians  from  Da- 
mascus, and  our  business  is  whatsoever  God  may 
put  in  our  way.'  The  next  question  will  be  about 
the  baggage ;  someone  pokes  it  with  a  stick,  to 


PALG  RAVE'S   77M  JV-.V.X  !•',» 

draw  attention  to  it,  and  says,  '  What  is  this  ?  have 
yon  any  little  object  to  sell  us? ' 

"We  fight  shy  of  selling;  to  open  on t  our  wares 
and  chattels  in  full  air,  on  the  sand,  and  amid  a 
crowd  whose  appearance  and  circumstances  offer  but 
a  .poor  guarantee  for  the  exact  observance  of  the 
eighth  commandment,  would  be  hardly  prudent  or 
worth  our  while.  After  several  fruitless  trials  they 
desist  from  their  request.  Another,  who  is  troubled 
by  some  bodily  infirmity,  for  which  all  the  united 
faculties  of  London  and  Paris  might  prescribe  in 
vain — a  withered  hand,  for  instance,  or  stone-blind  of 
an  eye — asks  for  medicine,  which  no  sooner  applied 
shall,  in  his  expectation,  suddenly  restore  him  to  per- 
fect health  and  corporal  integrity.  But  I  had  been 
already  forewarned  that  to  doctor  a  Bedouin,  even 
under  the  most  favorable  circumstances,  or  a  camel, 
is  pretty  much  the  same  thing,  and  with  about  an 
equal  chance  of  success  or  advantage.  I  politely  de- 
cline. He  insists  ;  I  turn  him  off  with  a  joke. 

"  '  So  you  laugh  at  us,  O  you  inhabitants  of  towns. 
We  are  Bedouins,  we  do  not  know  your  customs,' 
replies  he,  in  a  whining  tone ;  while  the  boys  grin 
unconscionably  at  the  discomfiture  of  their  tribesman. 

"  '  Ya  woleyd,'  or  young  fellow  (for  so  they  style 
every  human  male  from  eight  to  eighty  without  dis- 
tinction), '  will  you  not  fill  my  pipe? '  says  one,  who 
has  observed  that  mine  was  not  idle,  and  who,  though 
well  provided  with  a  good  stock  of  dry  tobacco  tied 
up  in  a  rag  at  his  greasy  waist-belt,  thinks  the  mo- 
ment a  fair  opportunity  for  a  little  begging,  since 
neither  medicine  nor  merchandise  is  to  be  had. 


100  TRAVELS  IX  ARABIA 

"  But  Salim,  seated  amid  the  circle,  makes  me  a 
sign  not  to  comply.  Accordingly,  I  evade  the  de- 
mand. However,  my  petitioner  goes  on  begging, 
and  is  imitated  by  two  or  three  others,  each  of  whom 
thrusts  forward  (a  true  Irish  hint)  a  bit  of  marrow- 
bone with  a  hole  drilled  in  one  side  to  act  for  a  pipe, 
or  a  porous  stone,  not  uncommon  throughout  the 
desert,  clumsily  fashioned  into  a  smoking  apparatus, 
a  sort  of  primitive  meerschaum. 

"  As  they  grow  rude,  I  pretend  to  become  angry, 
thus  to  cut  the  matter  short.  '  We  are  your  guests, 

0  you  Bedouins  ;  are  you  not  ashamed  to  beg  of  us? ' 
'  ]^ever  mind,  excuse  us  ;  those  are  ignorant  fellows, 
ill-bred    clowns,'   etc.,  interposes  one   close   by   the 
chief's  side ;  and   whose  dress  is  in  somewhat  better 
condition  than  that  of    the  other   half   and   three- 
quarter  naked  individuals  who  complete  the  assem- 
bly. 

" '  Will  you  not  people  the  pipe  for  your  little 
brother?'  subjoins  the  chief  himself,  producing  an 
empty  one  with  a  modest  air.  Bedouin  language, 
like  that  of  most  Orientals,  abounds  with  not  un- 
graceful imagery,  and  accordingly,  'people'  here 
means  'fill.'  Salim  gives  me  a  wink  of  compliance. 

1  take  out  a  handful  of  tobacco  and  put  it  on  his 
long  shirt-sleeve,  which  he  knots  over  it,  and  looks 
uncommonly    well   pleased.      At  any  rate  they  are 
easily  satisfied,  these  Bedouins. 

"  The  night  air  in  these  wilds  is  life  and  health  it- 
self. We  sleep  soundl}',  unharassed  by  the  antici- 
pation of  an  early  summons  to  march  next  morning, 
for  both  men  and  beasts  have  alike  need  of  a  full 


PALGRAVE'S  TRAVELS  101 

day's  repose.  When  the  sun  has  risen  we  are  invited 
to  enter  the  chiefs  tent  and  to  bring  our  baggage 
under  its  shelter.  A  main  object  of  our  entertainer, 
in  proposing  this  move,  is  to  try  whether  he  cannot 
render  our  visit  some  way  profitable  to  himself,  by 
present  or  purchase.  Whatever  politeness  he  can 
muster  is  accordingly  brought  into  play,  and  a  large 
bowl  of  fresh  camel's  milk,  an  excellent  beverage, 
now  appears  on  the  stage.  I  leave  to  chemical  anal- 
ysis to  decide  why  this  milk  will  not  furnish  butter, 
for  such  is  the  fact,  and  content  myself  with  bearing 
witness  to  its  very  nutritious  and  agreeable  quali- 
ties. 

"  The  day  passes  on.  About  noon  our  host  natu- 
rally enough  supposes  us  hungry,  and  accordingly  a 
new  dish  is  brought  in  :  it  looks  much  like  a  bowl 
full  of  coarse  red  paste,  or  bran  mixed  with  ochre. 
This  is  samh,  a  main  article  of  subsistence  to  the 
Bedouins  of  [Northern  Arabia.  Throughout  this  part 
of  the  desert  grows  a  small  herbaceous  and  tufted 
plant,  with  juicy  stalks  and  a  little  ovate  yellow- 
tinted  leaf  ;  the  flowers  are  of  a  brighter  yellow,  with 
many  stamens  and  pistils.  When  the'  blossoms  fall 
off  there  remains  in  place  of  each  a  four-leaved  cap- 
sule about  the  size  of  an  ordinary  pea,  and  this,  when 
ripe,  opens  to  show  a  mass  of  minute  reddish  seeds, 
resembling  grit  in  feel  and  appearance,  but  farina- 
ceous in  substance.  The  ripening  season  is  in  July, 
when  old  and  young,  men  and  women,  all  are  out  to 
collect  the  unsown  and  untoiled-for  harvest. 

"  On  the  27th  of  the  month  we  passed  with  some 
difficulty  a  series  of  abrupt  sand-hills  that  close  in 


102  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

the  direct  course  of  Wady  Sirhan.  Here,  for  the 
first  time,  we  saw  the  ghada,  a  shrub  almost  charac- 
teristic, from  its  very  frequency,  of  the  Arabian  Pen- 
insula, and  often  alluded  to  by  its  poets.  It  is  of 
the  genus  Euphorbia,  with  a  woody  stem,  often  five 
or  six  feet  in  height,  and  innumerable  round  green 
twigs,  very  slender  and  flexible,  forming  a  large 
feathery  tuft,  not  ungraceful  to  the  eye,  while  it  af- 
fords some  kind  of  shelter  to  the  traveller  and  food 
to  his  camels.  These  last  are  passionately  fond  of 
ghada,  and  will  continually  turn  right  out  of  their 
way,  in  spite  of  blows  and  kicks,  to  crop  a  mouthful 
of  it,  and  then  swing  back  their  long  necks  into  the 
former  direction,  ready  to  repeat  the  same  manoeuvre 
at  the  next  bush,  as  though  they  had  never  received 
a  beating  for  their  past  voracity. 

"  I  have,  while  in  England,  heard  and  read  more 
than  once  of  the  '  docile  camel.'  If  '  docile  '  means 
stupid,  well  and  good  ;  in  such  a  case  the  camel  is 
the  very  model  of  docility.  But  if  the  epithet  is  in- 
tended to  designate  an  animal  that  takes  an  interest 
in  its  rider  so  far  as  a  beast  can,  that  in  some  way 
understands  his  intentions  or  shares  them  in  a  sub- 
ordinate fashion,  that  obeys  from  a  sort  of  submissive 
or  half  fellow-feeling  with  his  master,  like  the  horse 
and  elephant,  then  I  say  that  the  camel  is  by  no 
means  docile,  very  much  the  contrary  ;  he  takes  no 
heed  of  his  rider,  pays  no  attention  whether  he  be  on 
his  back  or  not,  walks  straight  on  when  once  set  a-go- 
ing, merely  because  he  is  too  stupid  to  turn  aside  ; 
and  then,  should  some  tempting  thorn  or  green  branch 
allure  him  out  of  the  path,  continues  to  walk  on  in 


PALGRAVE'S  TRAVELS  103 

this  new  direction  simply  because  lie  is  too  dull  to 
turn  back  into  the  right  road.  His  only  care  is  to 
cross  as  much  pasture  as  he  conveniently  can  while 
pacing  mechanically  onward  ;  and  for  effecting  this, 
his  long,  flexible  neck  sets  hirn  at  great  advantage, 
and  a  hard  blow  or  a  do wu right  kick  alone  has  anv 

o  «/ 

influence  on  him  whether  to  direct  or  impel.  He 
will  never  attempt  to  throw  you  off  his  back,  such  a 
trick  being  far  beyond  his  limited  comprehension  ; 
but  if  you  fall  off,  he  will  never  dream  of  stopping 
for  you,  and  walks  on  just  the  same,  grazing  while 
he  goes,  without  knowing  or  caring  an  atom  what 
has  become  of  you.  If  turned  loose,  it  is  a  thousand 
to  one  that  he  will  never  find  his  way  back  to  his  ac- 
customed home  or  pasture,  and  the  first  comer  who 
picks  him  up  will  have  no  particular  shyness  to  get 
over ;  Jack  or  Tom  is  all  the  same  to  him,  and  the 
loss  of  his  old  master,  and  of  his  own  kith  and  kin, 
gives  him  no  regret,  and  occasions  no  endeavor  to  find 
them  again." 

On  coming  in  sight  of  the  mountains  of  Djowf 
the  travellers  were  obliged  to  halt  for  two  days  at  an 
encampment  of  the  Sherarat  Arabs,  because  Salim 
could  not  enter  the  Djowf  with  them  in  person,  on 
account  of  a  murder  which  he  had  committed  there. 
He  was  therefore  obliged  to  procure  them  another 
guide  capable  of  conducting  them  safely  the  remain- 
der of  the  journey.  After  much  search  and  discus- 
sion, Salim  ended  by  finding  a  good-natured,  but 
somewhat  timid,  individual,  who  undertook  their 
guidance  to  the  Djowf. 

Journeying  one  whole  day  and  night  over  an  open 


104  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

plateau,  where  they  saw  a  large  troop  of  ostriches, 
they  mounted  again  on  the  30th,  by  the  light  of  the 
morning  star,  anxious  to  enter  the  Djowf  before  the 
intense  heat  of  noon  should  come  on  ;  "  but  we  had 
yet  a  long  way  to  go,  and  our  track  followed  endless 
windings  among  low  hills  and  stony  ledges,  without 
any  symptom  of  approach  to  cultivated  regions.  At 
last  the  slopes  grew  greener,  and  a  small  knot  of 
houses,  with  traces  of  tillage  close  by,  appeared.  It 
was  the  little  village  of  Djoon,  the  most  westerly  ap- 
pendage of  Djowf  itself.  I  counted  between  twenty 
and  thirty  houses.  "We  next  entered  a  long  and  nar- 
row pass,  whose  precipitous  banks  shut  in  the  view 
on  either  side.  Suddenly  several  horsemen  appeared 
on  the  opposite  cliff,  and  one  of  them,  a  handsome 
youth,  with  long,  cm-ling  hair,  well  armed  and  well 
mounted  (we  shall  make  his  more  special  acquaint- 
ance in  the  next  chapter),  called  out  to  our  guide  to 
halt,  and  answer  in  his  own  behalf  and  ours.  This 
Suleyman  did,  not  without  those  marks  of  timidity 
in  his  voice  and  gesture  which  a  Bedouin  seldom 
fails  to  show  on  his  approach  to  a  town,  for,  when 
once  in  it,  he  is  apt  to  sneak  about  much  like  a  dog 
who  has  just  received  a  beating  for  theft.  On  his 
answer,  delivered  in  a  most  submissive  tone,  the 
horsemen  held  a  brief  consultation,  and  we  then  saw 
two  of  them  turn  their  horses'  heads  and  gallop  off 
in  the  direction  of  the  Djowf,  while  our  original  in- 
terlocutor called  out  to  Snleyman,  '  All  right,  go  on, 
and  fear  nothing,'  and  then  disappeared  after  the 
rest  of  the  band  behind  the  verge  of  the  upland. 
"  We  had  yet  to  drag  on  for  an  hour  of  tedious 


AN    ARAB    CHIEF. 


PALGRAVE'S  TRAVELS  105 

march  ;  my  camel  fairly  broke  down,  and  fell  again 
and  again  ;  his  bad  example  was  followed  by  the 
coffee-laden  beast ;  the  heat  was  terrible  in  these 
gorges,  and  noon  was  approaching.  At  last  we 
cleared  the  pass,  but  found  the  onward  prospect  still 
shut  out  by  an  intervening  mass  of  rocks.  The  water 
in  our  skins  was  spent,  and  we  had  eaten  nothing 
that  morning.  When  shall  we  get  in  sight  of  the 
Djowf  ?  or  has  it  flown  away  from  before  us  ?  While 
thus  wearily  laboring  on  our  way  we  turned  a  huge 
pile  of  crags,  and  a  new  and  beautiful  scene  burst 
upon  our  view. 

"A  broad,  deep  valley,  descending  ledge  after 
ledge  till  its  innermost  depths  are  hidden  from  sight 
amid  far-reaching  shelves  of  reddish  rock,  below 
everywhere  studded  with  tufts  of  palm-groves  and 
clustering  fruit-trees,  in  dark-green  patches,  down  to 
the  furthest  end  of  its  windings  ;  a  large  brown  mass 
of  irregular  masonry  crowning  a  central  hill  ;  beyond, 
a  tall  and  solitary  tower  overlooking  the  opposite 
bank  of  the  hollow,  and  further  down  small  round 
turrets  and  flat  house-tops,  half  buried  amid  the  gar- 
den foliage,  the  whole  plunged  in  a  perpendicular 
flood  of  light  and  heat ;  such  was  the  first  aspect  of 
the  Djowf  as  we  now  approached  it  from  the  west. 
It  was  a  lovely  scene,  and  seemed  yet  more  so  to  our 
eyes,  weary  of  the  long  desolation  through  which  wo 
had,  with  hardly  an  exception,  journeyed  day  after 
day,  since  our  last  farewell  glimpse  of  Gaza  and  Pal- 
estine, up  to  the  first  entrance  on  inhabited  Arabia. 
'  Like  the  Paradise  of  eternity,  none  can  enter  it  till 
after  having  previously  passed  over  hell-bridge,'  says 


106  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

an  Arab  poet,  describing  some  similar  locality  in  Al- 
gerian lands. 

"  Reanimated  by  the  view,  we  pushed  on  our 
jaded  beasts,  and  were  already  descending  the  first 
craggy  slope  of  the  valley  when  two  horsemen,  well 
dressed  and  fully  armed  after  the  fashion  of  these 
parts,  came  up  toward  us  from  the  town,  and  at  once 
saluted  us  with  a  loud  and  hearty  '  Marimba,'  or 
'  welcome ; '  and  without  further  preface  they  added, 
'  Alight  and  eat,'  giving  themselves  the  example  of 
the  former  by  descending  briskly  from  their  light- 
limbed  horses  and  untying  a  large  leather  bag  full 
of  excellent  dates  and  a  water-skin  filled  from  the 
running  spring ;  then,  spreading  out  these  most  op- 
portune refreshments  on  the  rock,  and  adding,  '  we 
were  sure  that  you  must  be  hungry  and  thirsty,  so  we 
have  come  ready  provided,'  they  invited  us  once 
more  to  sit  down  and  begin." 


CHAPTER  IX. 

PALGBAVE'S  TRAVELS— RESIDENCE  IN  THE  DJOWF 

THE  elder  of  the  two  cavaliers  who  welcomed  the 
travellers  proved  to  be  Ghafil-el-Haboob,  the 
chief  of  the  most  important  family  of  the  Djowf. 
Ghafil,  and  also  his  companion,  Dafee,  invited  the 
travellers  to  be  his  guests,  and  the  former,  it  after- 
ward appeared,  had  intended  that  they  should  reside 
in  his  house,  hoping  to  make  some  profit  from  the 
merchandise  which  they  might  have  brought.  They 
felt  bound,  at  least,  to  accompany  him  to  his  house 
and  partake  of  coffee,  before  going  elsewhere.  Pal- 
grave  thus  describes  the  manner  of  their  reception  : 

"The  k'hawah  was  a  large,  oblong  hall,  about 
twenty  feet  in  height,  fifty  in  length,  and  sixteen,  or 
thereabouts,  in  breadth  ;  the  walls  were  colored  in  a 
rudely  decorative  manner,  with  brown  and  white 
wash,  and  sunk  here  and  there  into  small  triangular 
recesses,  destined  to  the  reception  of  books — though 
of  these  Ghafil  at  least  had  no  over-abundance  — 
lamps,  and  other  such  like  objects.  The  roof  of  tim- 
ber, and  flat ;  the  floor  was  strewed  with  fine  clean 
sand,  and  garnished  all  round  alongside  of  the  walls 
with  long  strips  of  carpet,  upon  which  cushions,  cov- 
ered with  faded  silk,  were  disposed  at  suitable  inter- 
vals. 


108  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

"  We  enter.  On  passing  the  threshold  it  is  proper 
to  say,  (  BismiUaliJ  i.e.,  '  in  the  name  of  God  ; '  not 
to  do  so  would  be  looked  on  as  a  bad  augury,  alike 
for  him  who  enters  and  for  those  within.  The  vis- 
itor next  advances  in  silence,  till,  on  coming  about 
half-way  across  the  room,  he  gives  to  all  present,  but 
looking  specially  at  the  master  of  the  house,  the  cus- 
tomary '  Es-salamu 'aleykumS  or  '  Peace  be  with 
yon,'  literally,  '  on  you.'  All  this  while  everyone 
else  in  the  room  has  kept  his  place,  motionless,  and 
without  saying  a  word.  But  on  receiving  the  sa- 
laam of  etiquette,  the  master  of  the  house  rises,  and 
if  a  strict  Wahabee,  or  at  any  rate  desirous  of  seem- 
ing such,  replies  with  the  full-length  traditionary 
formula :  '  And  with  (or,  on)  you  be  peace,  and  the 
mercy  of  God,  and  his  blessings.'  But  should  he 
happen  to  be  of  anti-Wahabee  tendencies,  the  odds 
are  that  he  will  say  '  Marhaba,'  or  '  Ahlan  w'sahlan,' 
i.e.j  4  welcome,'  or  '  worthy  and  pleasurable,'  or  the 
like  ;  for  of  such  phrases  there  is  an  infinite  but  ele- 
gant variety.  All  present  follow  the  example  thus 
given  by  rising  and  saluting.  The  guest  then  goes 
up  to  the  master  of  the  house,  who  has  also  made  a 
step  or  two  forward,  and  places  his  open  hand  in  the 
palm  of  his  host's,  but  without  grasping  or  shaking, 
which  would  hardly  pass  as  decorous,  and,  at  the 
same  time  each  repeats  once  more  his  greeting,  fol- 
lowed by  the  set  phrases  of  polite  inquiry,  '  How  are 
you  ? '  '  How  goes  the  world  with  you  ? '  and  so 
forth,  all  in  a  tone  of  great  interest,  and  to  be  gone 
over  three  or  four  times,  till  one  or  other  has  the 
discretion  to  say  '  El  hamdu  1'illah,'  '  Praise  be  to 


RESIDENCE  IN  THE  DJOWI-'  109 

God,'  or,  in  equivalent  value,  '  all  right,'  and  this  is 
a  signal  for  a  seasonable  diversion  to  the  ceremonious 
interrogatory. 

"  Meantime  we  have  become  engaged  in  active 
conversation  with  our  host  and  his  friends.  But  our 
Sherarat  guide,  Suleyman,  like  a  true  Bedouin,  feels 
too  awkward  when  among  townsfolk  to  venture  on 

o 

the  upper  places,  though  repeatedly  invited,  and  ac- 
cordingly lias  squatted  down  on  the  sand  near  the 
entrance.  Many  of  Ghafil's  relations  are  present ; 
their  silver-decorated  swords  proclaim  the  importance 
of  the  family.  Others,  too,  have  come  to  receive  us, 
for  our  arrival,  announced  beforehand  by  those  we 
had  met  at  the  entrance  pass,  is  a  sort  of  event  in 
the  town  ;  the  dress  of  some  betokens  poverty,  others 
are  better  clad,  but  all  have  a  very  polite  and  decor- 
ous manner.  Many  a  question  is  asked  about  our 
native  land  and  town,  that  is  to  say,  Syria  and  Da- 
mascus, conformably  to  the  disguise  already  adopted, 
and  which  it  was  highly  important  to  keep  well  up  ; 
then  follow  inquiries  regarding  our  journey,  our  busi- 
ness, what  we  have  brought  with  us,  about  our  medi- 
cines, our  goods  and  wares,  etc.  From  the  very 
first  it  is  easy  for  us  to  perceive  that  patients  and 
purchasers  are  likely  to  abound.  Very  few  travel- 
ling merchants,  if  any,  visit  the  Djowf  at  this  time 
of  year,  for  one  must  be  mad,  or  next  door  to  it,  to 
rush  into  the  vast  desert  around  during  the  heats  of 
June  and  July  ;  I  for  one  have  certainly  no  intention 
of  doing  it  again.  Hence  we  had  small  danger  of 
competitors,  and  found  the  market  almost  at  our  ab- 
solute disposal. 


110  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

"  But  before  a  quarter  of  an  hour  has  passed,  and 
while  blacky  is  still  roasting  or  pounding  his  coffee, 
a  tall,  thin  lad,  Ghafil's  eldest  son,  appears,  charged 
with  a  large  circular  dish,  grass-platted  like  the  rest, 
and  throws  it  with  a  graceful  jerk  on  the  sandy  floor 
close  before  us.  He  then  produces  a  large  wooden 
bowlful  of  dates,  bearing  in  the  midst  of  the  heap 
a  cupful  of  melted  butter ;  all  this  he  places  on  the 
circular  mat,  and  says,  ' Semmoo]  literally,  'pro- 
nounce the  Xame,'  of  God,  understood  ;  this  means 
*  set  to  work  at  it.'  Hereon  the  master  of  the  house 
quits  his  place  by  the  fireside  and  seats  himself  on 
the  sand  opposite  to  us  ;  we  draw  nearer  to  the  dish, 
and  four  or  five  others,  after  some  respectful  coy- 
ness, join  the  circle.  Everyone  then  picks  out  a 
date  or  two  from  the  juicy,  half -amalgamated  mass, 
dips  them  into  the  butter,  and  thus  goes  on  eating 
till  he  has  had  enough,  when  he  rises  and  washes  his 
hands." 

"  I  will  take  the  opportunity  of  leading  my  readers 
over  the  whole  of  the  Djowf,  as  a  general  view  will 
help  better  to  understand  what  follows  in  the  narra- 
tive, besides  offering  much  that  will  be  in  part  new,  I 
should  fancy,  to  the  greater  number. 

"  This  province  is  a  sort  of  oasis,  a  large  oval  de- 
pression of  sixty  or  seventy  miles  long,  by  ten  or 
twelve  broad,  lying  between  the  northern  desert  that 
separates  it  from  Syria  and  the  Euphrates,  and  the 
southern  Nefood,  or  sandy  waste,  and  interposed 
between  it  and  the  nearest  mountains  of  the  central 
Arabian  plateau.  However,  from  its  comparative 
proximity  to  the  latter,  no  less  than  from  the  charac- 


RESIDENCE  IN  THE  DJOWF  111 

ter  of  its  climate  and  productions,  it  belongs  hardly 
so  much  to  Northern  as  to  Central  Arabia,  of  which 
it  is  a  kind  of  porch  or  vestibule.  If  an  equilateral 
triangle  were  to  be  drawn,  having  its  base  from  Da- 
mascus to  Bagdad,  the  vertex  would  find  itself  pretty 
exactly  as  the  Djowf,  which  is  thus  at  a  nearly  equal 
distance,  southeast  and  southwest,  from  the  two  lo- 
calities just  mentioned,  while  the  same  cross-line,  if 
continued,  will  give  at  about  the  same  intervals  of 
space  in  the  opposite  direction,  Medina  on  the  one 
hand,  and  Zulphah,  the  great  commercial  door  of 
Eastern  Xedjed,  on  the  other.  Djebel  Shomer  lies 
almost  due  south,  and  much  nearer  than  any  other 
of  the  places  above  specified.  Partly  to  this  cen- 
tral position,  and  partly  to  its  own  excavated  form, 
the  province  owes  its  appropriate  name  of  Djowf,  or 
'belly.' 

"The  principal,  or  rather  the  only,  town  of  the 
district,  all  the  rest  being  mere  hamlets,  bears  the 
name  of  the  entire  region.  It  is  composed  of  eight 
villages,  once  distinct,  but  which  have  in  process  of 
time  coalesced  into  one,  and  exchanged  their  sepa- 
rate existence  and  name  for  that  of  Sook,  or  '  quar- 
ter,' of  the  common  borough.  Of  these  Sooks,  the 
principal  is  that  belonging  to  the  family  Haboob, 
and  in  which  we  were  now  lodged.  It  includes  the 
central  castle  already  mentioned,  and  numbers  about 
four  hundred  houses.  The  other  quarters,  some 
larger,  others  smaller,  stretch  up  and  down  the  val- 
ley, but  are  connected  together  by  their  extensive 
gardens.  The  entire  length  of  the  town  thus  formed, 
with  the  cultivation  immediately  annexed,  is  full  four 


112  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

miles,  but  the  average  breadth  does  not  exceed  half 
a  mile,  and  sometimes  falls  short  of  it. 

"  The  size  of  the  domiciles  varies  with  the  condi- 
tion of  their  occupants,  and  the  poor  are  contented 
with  narrow  lodgings,  though  always  separate ;  for 
I  doubt  if  throughout  the  whole  of  Arabia  two  fami- 
lies, however  needy,  inhabit  the  same  dwelling. 
Ghafil's  abode,  already  described,  may  give  a  fail- 
idea  of  the  better  kind ;  in  such  we  have  an  outer 
court,  for  unlading  camels  and  the  like,  an  inner 
court,  a  large  reception-room,  and  several  other 
smaller  apartments,  to  which  entrance  is  given  by  a 
private  door,  and  where  the  family  itself  is  lodged. 

"  But  another  and  a  very  characteristic  feature 
of  domestic  architecture  is  the  frequent  addition, 
throughout  the  Djowf,  of  a  round  tower,  from  thirty 
to  forty  feet  in  height  and  twelve  or  more  in  breadth, 
with  a  narrow  entrance  and  loop-holes  above.  This 
construction  is  sometimes  contiguous  to  the  dwelling- 
place,  and  sometimes  isolated  in  a  neighboring  gar- 
den belonging  to  the  same  master.  These  towers 
once  answered  exactly  the  same  purposes  as  the  '  tor- 
ri,'  well  known  to  travellers  in  many  cities  of  Italy, 
at  Bologna,  Siena,  Rome,  and  elsewhere,  and  denoted 
a  somewhat  analogous  state  of  society  to  what  for- 
merly prevailed  there.  Hither,  in  time  of  the  ever- 
recurring  feuds  between  rival  chiefs  and  factions,  the 
leaders  and  their  partisans  used  to  retire  for  refuge 
and  defence,  and  hence  they  would  make  their  sal- 
lies to  burn  and  destroy.  These  towers,  like  all  the 
modern  edifices  of  the  Djowf,  are  of  unbaked  bricks  ; 
their  great  thickness  and  solidity  of  make,  along 


RESIDENCE  IN   TllK   M/OH7-'  113 

with  the  extreme  tenacity  of  the  soil,  joined  to  a 
very  dry  climate,  renders  the  material  a  rival  almost 
of  stone-work  in  strength  and  endurance.  Since  the 
final  occupation  of  this  region  by  the  forces  of  Telal, 
all  these  towers  have,  without  exception,  been  ren- 
dered unfit  for  defence,  and  some  are  even  half -ru- 
ined. Here  again  the  phenomena  of  Europe  have 
repeated  themselves  in  Arabia. 

"The  houses  are  not  unfrequently  isolated  each 
from  the  other  by  their  gardens  and  plantations  ;  and 
this  is  especially  the  case  with  the  dwellings  of  chiefs 
and  their  families.  "What  has  just  been  said  about 
the  towers  renders  the  reasons  of  this  isolation  suffi- 
ciently obvious.  But  the  dwellings  of  the  commoner 
sort  are  generally  clustered  together,  though  without 
symmetry  or  method. 

"  The  gardens  of  the  Djowf  are  ranch  celebrated 
in  this  part  of  the  East,  and  justly  so.  They  are  of 
a  productiveness  and  variety  superior  to  those  of 
Djebel  Shomei  or  of  Upper  Xedjed,  and  far  beyond 
whatever  the  Iledjaz  and  its  neighborhood  can  offer. 
Here,  for  the  first  time  in  our  southward  course,  we 
found  the  date-palm  a  main  object  of  cultivation ; 
and  if  its  produce  be  inferior  to  that  of  the  same 
tree  in  Nedjed  and  Ilasa,  it  is  far,  very  far,  above 
whatever  Egypt,  Africa,  or  the  valley  of  the  Tigris 
from  Bagdad  to  Bassora  can  show.  However,  the 
palm  is  by  no  means  alone  here.  The  apricot  and 
the  peach,  the  fig-tree  and  the  vine,  abound  through- 
out these  orchards,  and  their  fruit  surpasses  in  co- 
piousness and  flavor  that  supplied  by  the  gardens  of 
Damascus  or  the  hills  of  Syria  and  Palestine.  In 


TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

the  intervals  between  the  trees  or  in  the  fields  be- 
yond, corn,  leguminous  plants,  gourds,  melons,  etc., 
etc.,  are  widely  cultivated.  Here,  too,  for  the  last 
time,  the  traveller  bound  for  the  interior  sees  the  ir- 
rigation indispensable  to  all  growth  and  tillage  in  this 
droughty  climate  kept  up  by  running  streams  of 
clear  water,  whereas  in  the  Nedjed  and  its  neighbor- 
hood it  has  to  be  laboriously  procured  from  wells  and 
cisterns. 

"Besides  the  Djowf  itself,  or  capital,  there  exist 
several  other  villages  belonging  to  the  same  homony- 
mous  province,  and  all  subject  to  the  same  central  gov- 
ernor. Of  these  the  largest  is  Sekakah ;  it  lies  at 
about  twelve  miles  distant  to  the  northeast,  and 
though  inferior  to  the  principal  town  in  importance 
and  fertility  of  soil,  almost  equals  it  in  the  number 
of  its  inhabitants.  I  should  reckon  the  united  popu- 
lation of  these  two  localities — men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren— at  about  thirty-three  or  thirty  -four  thousand 
souls.  This  calculation,  like  many  others  before  us 
in  the  course  of  the  work,  rests  partly  on  an  approx-. 
imate  survey  of  the  number  of  dwellings,  partly  on 
the  military  muster,  and  partly  on  what  I  heard  on 
the  subject  from  the  natives  themselves.  A  census 
is  here  unknown,  and  no  register  records  birth,  mar- 
riage, or  death.  Yet,  by  aid  of  the  war  list,  which 
generally  represents  about  one-tenth  of  the  entire 
population,  a  fair  though  not  absolute  idea  may  be 
obtained  on  this  point. 

"Lastly,  around  and  at  no  great  distance  from 
these  main  centres,  are  several  small  villages  or  ham- 
lets, eight  or  ten  in  number,  as  I  was  told,  and  con- 


RESIDENCE  IN  THE  DJOWF  115 

taining  eacli  of  them  from  twenty  to  fifty  or  sixty 
houses.  But  I  had  neither  time  nor  opportunity  to 
visit  each  separately.  They  cluster  round  lesser 
water  springs,  and  offer  in  miniature  features  much 
resembling  those  of  the  capital.  The  entire  popula- 
tion of  the  province  cannot  exceed  forty  or  forty-two 
thousand,  but  it  is  a  brave  one,  and  very  liberally 
provided  with  the  physical  endowments  of  which  it 
has  been  acutely  said  that  they  are  seldom  despised 
save  by  those  who  do  not  themselves  possess  them. 
Tall,  well-proportioned,  of  a  tolerably  fair  complex- 
ion, set  off  by  long  curling  locks  of  jet-black  hair, 
with  features  for  the  most  part  regular  and  intelli- 
gent, and  a  dignified  carriage,  the  Djowfites  are 
eminently  good  specimens  of  what  may  be  called  the 
pure  northern  or  Ishmaelitish  Arab  type,  and  in  all 
these  respects  they  yield  the  palm  to  the  inhabitants 
of  Djebel  Shomer  alone.  Their  large-developed  forms 
and  open  countenance  contrast  strongly  with  the  some- 
what dwarfish  stature  and  suspicious  under-glance 
of  the  Bedouin.  They  are,  besides,  a  very  healthy 
people,  and  keep  up  their  strength  and  activity  even 
to  an  advanced  age.  It  is  no  uncommon  occurrence 
here,  to  see  an  old  man  of  seventy  set  out  full-armed 
among  a  band  of  youths  ;  though,  by  the  way,  such 
"  green  old  age  "  is  often  to  be  met  with  also  in  the 
central  province  farther  south,  as  I  have  had  frequent 
opportunity  of  witnessing.  The  climate,  too,  is  good 
and  dry,  and  habits  of  out-door  life  contribute  not  a 
little  to  the  maintenance  of  health  and  vigor. 

"  In  manners,  as  in  locality,  the  worthies  of  Djowf 
occupy  a  sort  of  half-way  position  between  Bedouins 


116  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

and  the  inhabitants  of  the  cultivated  districts.  Thus 
the}7  partake  largely  in  the  nomad's  aversion  to  me- 
chanical occupations,  in  his  indifference  to  literary 
acquirements,  in  his  aimless  fickleness  too,  and  even  in 
his  treacherous  ways.  I  have  said,  in  the  preceding 
chapter,  that  while  we  were  yet  threading  the  narrow 
gorge  near  the  first  entrance  of  the  valley,  several 
horsemen  appeared  on  the  upper  margin  of  the  pass, 
and  one  of  them  questioned  our  guide,  and  then,  after 
a  short  consultation  with  his  companions,  called  out 
to  us  to  go  on  and  fear  nothing.  Now,  the  name  of 
this  individual  was  Suliman-ebn-Dahir,  a  very  ad- 
venturous and  fairly  intelligent  young  fellow,  with 
whom  next-door  neighborhood  and  frequent  inter- 
course rendered  us  intimate  during  our  stay  at  the 
Djowf.  One  day,  while  we  were  engaged  in  friendly 
conversation,  he  said,  half  laughing,  '  Do  you  know 
what  we  were  consulting  about  while  you  were  in  the 
pass  below  on  the  morning  of  your  arrival  ?  It  was 
whether  we  should  make  you  a  good  reception,  and 
thus  procure  ourselves  the  advantage  of  having  you 
residents  among  us,  or  whether  we  should  not  do 
better  to  kill  you  all  three,  and  take  our  gain  from 
the  booty  to  be  found  in  your  baggage.'  I  replied 
with  equal  coolness,  '  It  might  have  proved  an  awk- 
ward affair  for  yourself  and  your  friends,  since 
Hamood  your  governor  could  hardly  have  failed  to 
get  wind  of  the  matter,  and  would  have  taken  it 
out  of  you.'  '  Pooh  ! '  replied  our  friend,  '  never  a 
bit;  as  if  a  present  out  of  the  plunder  would  not 
have  tied  Hamood's  tongue.'  '  Bedouins  that  you 
are,'  said  I,  laughing.  '  Of  course  we  are,'  answered 


RESIDENCE  IN  THE  DJOWF  117 

Snliman,  '  for  such  we  all  were  till  quite  lately,  and 
the  present  system  is  too  recent  to  have  much  changed 
us.'  However,  he  admitted  that  they  all  had,  on 
second  thoughts,  congratulated  themselves  on  not 
having  preferred  bloodshed  to  hospitality,  though 
perhaps  the  better  resolution  was  rather  owing  to 
interested  than  to  moral  motives. 

"  The  most  distinctive  good  feature  of  the  inhabi- 
tants of  Djowf  is  their  liberality.  Nowhere  else, 
even  in  Arabia,  is  the  guest,  so  at  least  he  be  not 
murdered  before  admittance,  better  treated,  or  more 
cordially  invited  to  become  in  every  \vay  one  of 
themselves.  Courage,  too,  no  one  denies  them,  and 
they  are  equally  lavish  of  their  own  lives  and  prop- 
erty as  of  their  neighbors'. 

"  Let  us  now  resume  the  narrative.  On  the  morn- 
ing after  our  arrival — it  was  now  the  1st  of  July — 
Ghafil  caused  a  small  house  in  the  neighborhood, 
belonging  to  one  of  his  dependents,  to  be  put  at  our 
entire  disposal,  according  to  our  previous  request. 
This,  our  new  abode,  consisted  of  a  small  court  with 
two  rooms,  one  on  each  side,  for  warehouse  and  hab- 
itation, the  whole  being  surrounded  with  an  outer 
wall,  whose  door  was  closed  by  lock  and  bolt.  Of  a 
kitchen-room  there  was  small  need,  so  constant  and 
hospitable  are  the  invitations  of  the  good  folks  here 
to  strangers ;  and  if  our  house  was  not  over  capa- 
cious, it  afforded  at  least  what  we  most  desired, 
namely,  seclusion  and  privacy  at  will  ;  it  was,  more- 
over, at  our  host's  cost,  rent  and  reparations. 

"  Hither,  accordingly,  we  transferred  baggage  and 
chattels,  and  arranged  everything  as  comfortably  aa 


118  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

we  best  conld.  And  as  we  had  already  concluded, 
from  the  style  and  conversation  of  those  around  us, 
that  their  state  of  society  was  hardly  far  enough  ad- 
vanced to  offer  a  sufficiently  good  prospect  for  med- 
ical art,  whose  exercise,  to  be  generally  advanta- 
geous, requires  a  certain  amount  of  culture  and 
aptitude  in  the  patient,  no  less  than  of  skill  in  the 
physician,  we  resolved  to  make  commerce  our  main 
affair  here,  trusting  that  by  so  doing  we  should  gain 
a  second  advantage,  that  of  lightening  our  more 
bulky  goods,  such  as  coffee  and  cloth,  whose  trans- 
port had  already  annoyed  us  not  a  little. 

"  But  in  fact  we  were  not  more  desirous  to  sell 
than  the  men,  women,  and  children  of  the  Djowf 
were  to  buy.  From  the  very  outset  our  little  court- 
yard was  crowded  with  customers,  and  the  most 
amusing  scenes  of  Arab  haggling,  in  all  its  mixed 
shrewdness  and  simplicity,  diverted  us  through  the 
week.  Handkerchief  after  handkerchief,  yard  after 
yard  of  cloth,  beads  for  the  women,  knives,  combs, 
looking-glasses,  and  what  not?  (for  our  stock  was  a 
thorough  miscellany)  were  soon  sold  off,  some  for 
ready  money,  others  on  credit;  and  it  is  but  justice 
to  say  that  all  debts  so  contracted  were  soon  paid 
in  very  honestly;  Oxford  High  Street  tradesmen, 
at  least  in  former  times,  were  not  always  equally 
fortunate. 

"  Meanwhile  we  had  the  very  best  opportunity  of 
becoming  acquainted  with  and  appreciating  all  class- 
es, nay,  almost  all  individuals,  of  the  place.  Peasants, 
too,  from  various  hamlets  arrived,  led  by  rumor, 
whose  trumpet,  prone  to  exaggerate  under  every  sky, 


RESIDENCE  IN  THE  DJOWF  119 

had  proclaimed  us  throughout  the  valley  of  Djowf 
for  much  more  important  characters,  and  possessed 
of  a  much  larger  stock  in  hand,  than  was  really  the 
case.  All  crowded  in,  and  before  long  there  were 
more  customers  than  wares  assembled  in  the  store- 
room. 

"  Our  manner  of  passing  the  time  was  as  follows : 
We  used  to  rise  at  early  dawn,  lock  up  the  house, 
and  go  out  in  the  pure  cool  air  of  the  morning  to 
some  quiet  spot  among  the  neighboring  palm-groves, 
or  scale  the  wall  of  some  garden,  or  pass  right  on 
through  the  by-lanes  to  where  cultivation  merges  in 
the  adjoining  sands  of  the  valley  ;  in  short,  to  any 
convenient  place  where  we  might  hope  to  pass  an 
hour  of  quiet,  undisturbed  by  Arab  sociability,  and 
have  leisure  to  plan  our  work  for  the  day.  We 
would  then  return  home  about  sunrise,  and  find  out- 
side the  door  some  tall  lad  sent  by  his  father,  gen- 
erally one  of  the  wealthier  and  more  influential 
inhabitants  of  the  quarter  yet  un visited  by  us,  wait- 
ing our  return,  to  invite  us  to  an  early  breakfast. 
We  would  now  accompany  our  Mercury  to  his  domi- 
cile, where  a  hearty  reception,  and  some  neighbors 
collected  for  the  occasion,  or  attracted  by  a  cup  of 
good  coffee,  were  sure  to  be  in  attendance.  Here 
an  hour  or  so  would  wear  away,  and  some  medical 
or  mercantile  transaction  be  sketched  out.  We,  of 
course,  would  bring  the  conversation,  whenever  it 
was  possible,  on  local  topics,  according  as  those  pres- 
ent seemed  likely  to  afford  us  exact  knowledge  and 
insight  into  the  real  state  and  circumstances  of  the 
land.  We  would  then  return  to  our  own  quarters, 


120  TRA  VEL8  IN  ARABIA 

where  a  crowd  of  customers,  awaiting  us,  would  al- 
low us  neither  rest  nor  pause  till  noon.  Then  a  short 
interval  for  date  or  pumpkin  eating  in  some  neigh- 
bor's house  would  occur,  and  after  that  business  be 
again  resumed  for  three  or  four  hours.  A  walk 
among  the  gardens,  rarely  alone,  more  often  in  com'- 
pany  with  friends  and  acquaintances,  would  follow ; 
and  meanwhile  an  invitation  to  supper  somewhere 
had  unfailingly  been  given  and  accepted." 

"  After  supper  all  rise,  wash  their  hands,  and  then 
go  out  into  the  open  air  to  sit  and  smoke  a  quiet 
pipe  under  the  still  transparent  sky  of  the  summer 
evening.  Neither  mist  nor  vapor,  much  less  a  cloud, 
appears;  the  moon  dips  down  in  silvery  whiteness 
to  the  very  verge  of  the  palm-tree  tops,  and  the  last 
rays  of  daylight  are  almost  as  sharp  and  clear  as  the 
dawn  itself.  Chat  and  society  continue  for  an  hour 
or  two,  and  then  everyone  goes  home,  most  to  sleep, 
I  fancy,  for  few  Penseroso  lamps  are  here  to  be  seen 
at  midnight  hour,  nor  does  the  spirit  of  Plato  stand 
much  risk  of  unsphering  from  the  nocturnal  studies 
of  the  Djowf ;  we,  to  write  our  journal,  or  to  com- 
pare observations  and  estimate  characters. 

"  Sometimes  a  comfortable  landed  proprietor  would 
invite  us  to  pass  an  extemporary  holiday  morning  in 
his  garden,  or  rather  orchard,  there  to  eat  grapes  and 
enjoy  ourselves  at  will,  seated  under  clustering  vine- 
trellises,  with  palm-trees  above  and  running  streams 
around.  How  pleasant  it  was  after  the  desert !  At 
other  times  visits  of  patients,  prescriptions,  and  simi- 
lar duties  would  take  up  a  part  of  the  day ;  or  some 
young  fellow,  particularly  desirous  of  information 


RESIDENCE  IN  THE  DJOWF  121 

about  Syria  or  Egypt,  or  perhaps  curious  after  his- 
tory and  moral  science,  would  hold  us  for  a  couple  of 
hours  in  serious  and  sensible  talk,  at  any  rate  to  our 
advantage." 

It  was  necessary  that  the  travellers  should  not  de- 
lay in  paying  their  official  visit  to  Hamood,  the  vice- 
gerent of  Telal.  His  residence  is  in  the  centre  of 
the  garden  region,  near  a  solitary  round  tower,  whose 
massive  stone  walls  are  mentioned  in  Arabian  poetry, 
llatnood's  residence  is  an  irregular  structure,  of  more 
recent  date,  with  no  distinguishing  feature  except  a 
tower  about  fifty  feet  in  height.  Palgrave  and  his 
companion  were  accompanied  by  a  large  number  of 
their  newly-found  friends.  After  passing  through 
an  outer  court,  filled  with  armed  guards,  they  found 
the  ruler  seated  in  his  large  reception-hall : 

"  There,  in  the  place  of  distinction,  which  he  never 
yields  to  any  individual  of  Djowf,  whatever  be  his 
birth  or  wealth,  appeared  the  governor,  a  strong, 
broad-shouldered,  dark-browed,  dark-eyed  man,  clad 
in  the  long  white  shirt  of  the  country,  and  over  it 
a  handsome  black  cloak,  embroidered  with  crimson 
silk ;  on  his  august  head  a  silken  handkerchief  or 
kejfee'yeti)  girt  by  a  white  band  of  finely  woven 
camel's  hair ;  and  in  his  fingers  a  grass  fan.  He 
rose  graciously  on  our  approach,  extended  to  us  the 
palm  of  his  hand,  and  made  us  sit  down  near  his 
side,  keeping,  however,  Ghafil,  as  an  old  acquaint- 
ance, between  himself  and  us,  perhaps  as  a  precau- 
tionary arrangement  against  any  sudden  assault  or 
treasonable  intention  on  our  part,  for  an  Arab,  be  he 
who  he  may,  is  never  off  his  guard  when  new  faces 
^ 


122  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

are  in  presence.  In  other  respects  he  showed  us 
much  courtesy  and  good- will,  made  many  civil  in- 
quiries about  our  health  after  so  fatiguing  a  journey, 
praised  Damascus  and  the  Damascenes,  by  way  of  an 
indirect  compliment,  and  offered  us  a  lodging  in  the 
castle.  But  here  Ghafil  availed  himself  of  the  privi- 
leges conceded  by  Arab  custom  to  priority  of  liost- 
ship  to  put  in  his  negative  on  our  behalf ;  nor  were 
we  anxious  to  press  the  matter.  A  pound  or  so  of 
onr  choicest  coffee,  with  which  we  on  this  occasion 
presented  his  excellency,  both  as  a  mute  witness  to 
the  object  of  our  journey,  and  the  better  to  secure 
his  good-will,  was  accepted  very  readily  by  the  great 
man,  who  in  due  return  offered  us  his  best  services. 
We  replied  that  we  stood  in  need  of  nothing  save  his 
long  life,  this  being  the  Arab  formula  for  rejoinder 
to  such  fair  speeches ;  and,  next  in  order,  of  means 
to  get  safe  on  to  Ha'yel  so  soon  as  our  business  at 
the  Djowf  should  permit,  being  desirous  to  establish 
ourselves  under  the  immediate  patronage  of  Telal. 
In  this  he  promised  to  aid  us,  and  kept  his  word." 

Harnood  afterward  politely  returned  their  visit, 
and  they  frequently  went  to  his  castle  for  the  pur- 
pose of  studying  the  many  interesting  scenes  pre- 
sented by  the  exercise  of  the  very  primitive  Arab 
system  of  justice.  Palgrave  gives  the  following  case 
as  a  specimen : 

"  One  day  my  comrade  and  myself  were  on  a  visit 
of  mere  politeness  at  the  castle  ;  the  customary  cere- 
monies had  been  gone  through,  and  business,  at  first 
interrupted  by  our  entrance,  had  resumed  its  course. 
A  Bedouin  of  the  Ma'az  tribe  was  pleading  his  cause 


RESIDENCE  IN  THE  DJOWF  123 

before  Hamood,  and  accusing  someone  of  having 
forcibly  taken  away  his  camel.  The  governor  was 
seated  with  an  air  of  intense  gravity  in  his  corner, 
half  leaning  on  a  cushion,  while  the  Bedouin,  cross- 
legged  on  the  ground  before  him,  and  within  six  feet 
of  his  person,  flourished  in  his  hand  a  large  reaping- 
hook,  identically  that  which  is  here  used  for  cutting 
grass.  Energetically  gesticulating  with  this  graceful 
implement,  he  thus  challenged  his  judge's  attention  : 
'  You,  Hamood,  do  you  hear  ? '  (stretching  out  at  the 
same  time  the  hook  toward  the  governor,  so  as  almost 
to  reach  his  body,  as  though  he  meant  to  rip  him 
open) ;  '  he  has  taken  from  me  my  camel  ;  have  yon 
called  God  to  mind?'  (again  putting  his  weapon  close 
to  the  unflinching  magistrate).  '  The  camel  is  my 
camel;  do  you  heart '(with  another  reminder  from 
the  reaping-hook);  'he  is  mine,  by  God's  award,  and 
yours  too ;  do  yon  hear,  child  ? '  and  so  on,  while 
Hamood  sat  without  moving  a  muscle  of  face  or 

o 

limb,  imperturbable  and  impassible  till  some  one  of 
the  counsellors  quieted  the  plaintiff  with  '  Remem- 
ber God,  child  ;  it  is  of  no  consequence,  you  shall 
not  be  wronged.'  Then  the  judge  called  on  the  wit- 
nesses, men  of  the  Djowf,  to  say  their  say,  and  on 
their  confirmation  of  the  Bedouin's  statement,  gave 
orders  to  two  of  his  satellites  to  search  for  and  brinor 

o 

before  him  the  accused  party  ;  while  he  added  to  the 
Ma'azee,  '  All  right,  daddy,  you  shall  have  your  own ; 
put  your  confidence  in  God,'  and  composedly  mo- 
tioned him  back  to  his  place. 

'"A  fortnight  and  more  went  by,  and  found  us  still 
in  the  Djowf,  'honored  guests'  in  Arab  phrase,  and 


TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

well  rested  from  the  bygone  fatigues  of  the  desert. 
Ghafil's  dwelling  was  still,  so  to  speak,  our  official 
home ;  but  there  were  two  other  houses  where  we 
were  still  more  at  our  ease  ;  that  of  Dafee,  the  same 
who  along  with  Ghafil  came  to  meet  us  on  our  first 
arrival ;  and  that  of  Salim,  a  respectable  and,  in  his 
way,  a  literary  old  man,  our  near  neighbor,  and  sur- 
rounded by  a  large  family  of  fine  strapping  youths, 
all  of  them  brought  up  more  or  less  in  the  fear  of 
Allah  and  in  good  example.  Hither  we  used  to 
retire  when  wearied  of  Ghafil  and  his  like,  and  pass 
a  quiet  h^our  in  their  k'hawah,  reciting  or  hearing 
Arab  poety,  talking  over  the  condition  of  the  country 
and  its  future  prospects,  discussing  points  of  morality, 
or  commenting  on  the  ways  and  fashions  of  the  day." 
The  important  question  for  the  travellers  was  how 
they  should  get  to  Djebel  Shomer,  the  great  fertile 
oasis  to  the  south,  under  the  rule  of  the  famous 
Prince  Telal.  The  terrible  Nefood,  or  sand-passes, 
which  the  Arabs  themselves  look  upon  with  dread, 
must  be  crossed,  and  it  was  now  the  middle  of  sum- 
mer. The  hospitable  people  of  the  Djowf  begged 
Palgrave  and  his  friends  to  remain  until  September, 
and  they  probably  would  have  been  delayed  for  some 
time  but  for  a  lucky  chance.  The  Azzam  tribe  of 
Bedouins,  which  had  been  attacked  by  Prince  Telal, 
submitted,  and  a  dozen  of  their  chiefs  arrived  at  the 
Djowf,  on  their  way  to  Djebel  Shomer,  where  they 
purposed  to  win  Telal's  good  graces  by  tendering  him 
their  allegiance  in  his  very  capital.  Ilamood  re- 
ceived them  and  lodged  them  for  several  days,  while 
they  rested  from  their  past  fatigues,  and  prepared 


RESIDENCE  IN  THE  DJOWF  125 

themselves  for  what  yet  lay  before  them.  Some  in- 
habitants of  the  Djowf,  whose  business  required 
their  presence  at  Ila'yel,  were  to  join  the  party. 
"  Ilamood  sent  for  us/'  Palgrave  continues,  "and 
gave  us  notice  of  this  expedition,  and  on  our  declar- 
ing that  we  desired  to  profit  by  it,  he  handed  us  a 
scrap  of  paper,  addressed  to  Telal  himself,  wherein 
lie  certified  that  we  had  duly  paid  the  entrance  fee 
exacted  from  strangers  on  their  coming  within  the 
limits  of  Shomer  rule,  and  that  we  were  indeed  re- 
spectable individuals,  worthy  of  all  good  treatment. 
We  then,  in  presence  of  Ilamood,  struck  our  bargain 
with  one  of  the  band  for  a  couple  of  camels,  whose 
price,  including  all  the  services  of  their  master  as 
guide  and  companion  for  ten  days  of  July  travelling, 
was  not  extravagant  either;  it  came  up  to  just  a  hun- 
dred and  ten  piastres,  equivalent  to  eighteen  or  nine- 
teen shillings  of  English  money. 

"  Many  delays  occurred,  and  it  was  not  till  the  18th 
of  July,  when  the  figs  were  fully  ripe — a  circumstance 
which  furnished  the  natives  of  Djowf  with  new 
cause  of  wonder  at  our  rushing  away,  in  lieu  of  wait- 
ing like  rational  beings  to  enjoy  the  good  things  of 
the  land — that  we  received  our  final  '  Son  of  Ilo- 
deirah,  depart.'  This  was  intimated  to  us,  not  by  a 
locust,  but  by  a  creature  almost  as  queer,  namely,  our 
new  conductor,  a  half-cracked  Arab,  neither  peasant 
nor  Bedouin,  but  something  anomalous  between  the 
two,  hight  Djedey',  and  a  native  of  the  outskirts  of 
Djebel  Shomer,  who  darkened  our  door  in  the  fore- 
noon, and  warned  us  to  make  our  final  packing  up, 
and  get  ready  for  starting  the  same  day. 


126  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

"When  once  clear  of  the  houses  and  gardens, 
Djedey'  led  us  by  a  road  skirting  the  southern  side 
of  the  valley,  till  we  arrived,  before  sunset,  at  the 
other,  or  eastern,  extremity  of  the  town.  Here  was 
the  rendezvous  agreed  on  by  our  companions  ;  but 
they  did  not  appear,  and  reason  good,  for  they  had 
right  to  a  supper  more  under  Hamood's  roof,  and 
were  loath  to  lose  it.  So  we  halted  and  alighted 
alone.  The  chief  of  this  quarter,  which  is  above 
two  miles  distant  from  the  castle,  invited  us  to  sup- 
per, and  thence  we  returned  to  our  baggage,  there  to 
sleep.  To  pass  a  summer's  night  in  the  open  air  on 
a  soft  sand  bed  implies  no  great  privation  in  these 
countries,  nor  is  anyone  looked  on  as  a  hero  for  so 
doing. 

"  Early  next  morning,  while  Venus  yet  shone  like 
a  drop  of  melted  silver  on  the  slaty  blue,  three  of 
our  party  arrived  and  announced  that  the  rest  of  our 
companions  would  soon  come  up.  Encouraged  by 
the  news,  we  determined  to  march  on  without  further 
tarrying,  and  ere  sunrise  we  climbed  the  steep  ascent 
of  the  southerly  bank,  whence  we  had  a  magnificent 
view  of  the  whole  length  of  the  Djowf,  its  castle  and 
towers,  and  groves  and  gardens,  in  the  ruddy  light 
of  morning,  and  beyond  the  drear  northern  deserts 
stretching  far  away.  We  then  dipped  down  the 
other  side  of  the  bordering  hill,  not  again  to  see  the 
Djowf  till — who  knows  when  ?  " 


CHAPTER  X. 

PALGRAVE'S  TRAVELS—  CROSSING  THE  NEFOOD 


way  was  now  to  the  southeast,  across  a 
large  plain  varied  with  sand-mounds  and 
covered  with  the  ghada-bnsh,  already  described,  so 
that  our  camels  were  much  more  inclined  to  crop 
pasture  than  to  do  their  business  in  journeying  ahead. 
About  noon  we  halted  near  a  large  tuft  of  this 
shrub,  at  least  ten  feet  high.  We  constructed  a  sort 
of  cabin  with  boughs  broken  off  the  neighboring 
plants  and  suitably  arranged  shedwise,  and  thus 
passed  the  noon  hours  of  intolerable  heat  till  the 
whole  band  came  in  sight. 

"They  were  barbarous,  nay,  almost  savage,  fel- 
lows, like  most  Sherarat,  whether  chiefs  or  people  ; 
but  they  had  been  somewhat  awed  by  the  grandeurs 
of  Hainood,  and  yet  more  so  by  the  prospect  of  com- 
ing so  soon  before  the  terrible  majesty  of  Telal  him- 
self. All  were  duly  armed,  and  had  put  on  their 
best  suits  of  apparel,  an  equipment  worthy  of  a  scare- 
crow or  of  an  Irishman  at  a  wake.  Tattered  red 
overalls;  cloaks  with  more  patches  than  original 
substance,  or,  worse  yet,  which  opened  large  mouths 
to  cry  for  patching,  but  had  not  got  it  ;  little  broken 
tobacco  pipes,  and  no  trousers  soever  (by  the  way, 
all  genuine  Arabs  are  sans-culottes)  /  faces  meagre 


128  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

with  habitual  hunger,  and  black  with  dirt  and 
weather  stains — such  were  the  high-born  chiefs  of 
Azzam,  on  their  way  to  the  king's  levee.  Along 
with  them  were  two  Bedouins  of  the  Shorner  tribe,  a 
degree  better  in  guise  and  person  than  the  Shera- 
rat ;  and  lastly,  three  men  of  Djowf,  who  looked 
almost  like  gentlemen  among  such  ragamuffins.  As 
to  my  comrade  and  myself,  I  trust  that  the  reader 
will  charitably  suppose  us  the  exquisites  of  the  party. 
So  we  rode  on  together. 

"Next  morning,  a  little  after  sunrise,  we  arrived 
at  a  white  calcareous  valley,  girt  round  with  low 
hills  of  marl  and  sand.  Here  was  the  famous  Be'er 
Shekeek,  or  '  well  of  Shekeek,'  whence  we  were  to 
fill  our  water-skins,  and  that  thoroughly,  since  no 
other  source  lay  before  us  for  four  days'  march  amid 
the  sand  passes,  up  to  the  very  verge  of  Djebel  S ho- 
mer. 

"  Daughters  of  the  Great  Desert,  to  use  an  Arab 
phrase,  the  '  Nefood,'  or  sand-passes,  bear  but  too 
strong  a  family  resemblance  to  their  nnamiable 
mother.  "What  has  been  said  elsewhere  about  their 
origin,  their  extent,  their  bearings,  and  their  connec- 
tion with  the  Dhana,  or  main  sand-waste  of  the 
south,  may  exempt  me  from  here  entering  on  a  mi- 
nute enarration  of  all  their  geographical  details ;  let 
it  suffice  for  the  present  that  they  are  offshoots — in- 
lets, one  might  not  unsuitably  call  them — of  the  great 
ocean  of  sand  that  covers  about  one-third  of  the  pe- 
ninsula, into  whose  central  and  comparatively  fertile 
plateau  they  make  deep  inroads,  nay,  in  some  places 
almost  intersect  it.  Their  general  character,  of  which 


CAPTAIN    BURTON   AS    A    PILGRIM. 


CROSSING   THE  NEFOOD  129 

the  following  pages  will,  I  trust,  give  a  tolerably  cor- 
rect idea,  is  also  that  of  Dahna,  or  '  red  desert,'  it- 
self. The  Arabs,  always  prone  to  localize  rather 
than  generalize,  count  these  sand-streams  by  scores, 
but  they  may  all  be  referred  to  four  principal  courses, 
and  he  who  would  traverse  the  centre  must  necessa- 
rily cross  two  of  them,  perhaps  even  three,  as  we  did. 
"  The  general  type  of  Arabia  is  that  of  a  central 
table-land,  surrounded  by  a  desert  ring,  sandy  to  the 
south,  west,  and  east,  and  stony  to  the  north.  This 
outlying  circle  is  in  its  turn  girt  by  a  line  of  moun- 
tains, low  and  sterile  for  the  most,  but  attaining  in 
Yemen  and  Oman  considerable  height,  breadth,  and 
fertility,  while  beyond  these  a  narrow  rim  of  coast  is 
bordered  by  the  sea.  The  surface  of  the  midmost 
table-land  equals  somewhat  less  than  one-half  of  the 
entire  peninsula,  and  its  special  demarcations  are 
much  affected,  nay,  often  absolutely  fixed,  by  the 
windings  and  in-runnings  of  the  Xefood.  If  to  these 
central  highlands,  or  Xedjed,  taking  that  word  in  its 
wider  sense,  we  add  the  Djowf,  the  Ta'yif,  Djebel 
'Aaseer,  Yemen,  Oman,  and  Hasa,  in  short,  whatever 
spots  of  fertility  belong  to  the  outer  circles,  we  shall 
find  that  Arabia  contains  about  two-thirds  of  culti- 
vated, or  at  least  of  cultivable,  land,  with  a  remaining 
third  of  irreclaimable  desert,  chiefly  to  the  south.  In 
most  other  directions  the  great  blank  spaces  often 
left  in  maps  of  this  country  are  quite  as  frequently 
indications  of  non-information  as  of  real  non-inhabi- 
tation. However,  we  have  just  now  a  strip,  though 
fortunately  only  a  strip,  of  pure,  unmitigated  desert 
before  us,  after  which  better  lands  await  us  ;  and  in 


130  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

this  hope  let  us  take  courage  and  boldly  enter  the 
Nefood. 

"  Much  had  we  heard  of  them  from  Bedouins  and 
countrymen,  so  that  we  had  made  up  our  minds  to 
something  very  terrible  and  very  impracticable.  But 
the  reality,  especially  in  these  dog  days,  proved  worse 
than  aught  heard  or  imagined. 

"  We  were  now  traversing  an  immense  ocean  of 
loose  reddish  sand,  unlimited  to  the  eye,  and  heaped 
up  in  enormous  ridges,  running  parallel  to  each  other 
from  north  to  south,  undulation  after  undulation, 
each  swell  two  or  three  hundred  feet  in  average 
height,  with  slant  sides  and  rounded  crests  furrowed 
in  every  direction  by  the  capricious  gales  of  the  des- 
ert. In  the  depths  between  the  traveller  finds  him- 
self as  it  were  imprisoned  in  a  suffocating  sand-pit, 
hemmed  in  by  burning  walls  on  every  side ;  while  at 
other  times,  while  laboring  up  the  slope,  he  over- 
looks what  seems  a  vast  sea  of  fire,  swelling  under  a 
heavy  monsoon  wind,  and  ruffled  by  a  cross  blast  into 
little  red-hot  waves." 

Palgrave  devotes  several  pages  to  his  journey  across 
the  Nefood,  bearing  out  in  his  general  description  its 
character,  as  above. 

Lady  Anne  Blunt,  who  with  her  husband  and  na- 
tive followers  crossed  the  Kefood  sixteen  years  later, 
however,  takes  issue  with  Mr.  Palgrave  as  to  its 
character,  as  will  be  found  in  Chapter  XVII.,  largely 
devoted  to  her  travels  in  Arabia. 

Arriving  at  the  eastern  edge  of  the  Kefood  Pal- 
grave continues : 

"  The  morning  broke  on  us  still  toiling  amid  the 


CROSSING   THE  NEFOOD  131 

sands.  By  daylight  we  saw  onr  straggling  compan- 
ions like  black  specks  here  and  there,  one  far  ahead 
on  a  yet  vigorous  dromedary,  another  in  the  rear  dis- 
mounted, and  urging  his  fallen  beast  to  rise  by  plung- 
ing a  knife  a  good  inch  deep  into  its  haunches,  a 
third  lagging  in  the  extreme  distance.  Everyone 
for  himself  and  God  for  us  all ! — so  we  quickened  our 
pace,  looking  anxiously  before  us  for  the  hills  of 
Djobbah,  which  could  not  now  be  distant.  At  noon 
we  came  in  sight  of  them  all  at  once,  close  on  our 
right,  wild  and  fantastic  cliffs,  rising  sheer  on  the  mar- 
gin of  the  sand  sea.  We  coasted  them  awhile,  till  at 
a  turn  the  whole  plain  of  Djobbah  and  its  landscape 
opened  on  onr  view. 

"  Here  we  had  before  us  a  cluster  of  black  granite 
rock,  streaked  with  red,  and  about  seven  hundred 
feet,  at  a  rough  guess,  in  height;  beyond  them  a 
large  barren  plain,  partly  white  and  encrusted  with 
salt,  partly  green  with  tillage,  and  studded  with  palm- 
groves,  amongst  which  we  could  discern,  not  far  off, 
the  village  of  Djobbah,  much  resembling  that  of 
Djowf  in  arrangement  and  general  appearance,  only 
smaller,  and  without  castle  or  tower.  Beyond  the 
valley  glistened  a  second  line  of  sand-hills,  but  less 
wild  and  desolate-looking  than  those  behind  us,  and 
far  in  the  distance  the  main  range  of  Djebel  Sho- 
mer,  a  long  purple  sierra  of  most  picturesque  out- 
line. Had  we  there  and  then  mounted,  as  we  after- 
ward did,  the  heights  on  our  right,  we  should  have 
also  seen  in  the  extreme  southwest  a  green  patch 
near  the  horizon,  where  cluster  the  palm  plantations 
of  Teymah,  a  place  famed  in  Arab  history,  and  by 


132  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

some   supposed  identical    with   the  Tern  an  of  Holy 
Writ. 

"  But  for  the  moment  a  drop  of  fresh  water  and  a 
shelter  from  the  July  sun  was  much  more  in  our 
thoughts  than  all  the  Teymahs  or  Temans  that  ever 
existed.  My  camel,  too,  was — not  at  the  end  of  his 
wits,  for  he  never  had  any — but  of  his  legs,  and 
hardly  capable  of  advance,  while  I  was  myself  too 
tired  to  urge  him  on  vigorously,  and  we  took  a  fair 
hour  to  cross  a  narrow  white  strip  of  mingled  salt 
and  sand  that  yet  intervened  between  us  and  the  vil- 
lage. 

"  Without  its  garden  walls  was  pitched  the  very 
identical  tent  of  our  noble  guide,  and  here  his  wife 
and  family  were  anxiously  awaiting  their  lord.  Dje- 
dey'  invited  us — indeed  he  could  not  conformably 
with  Shomer  customs  do  less — to  partake  of  his 
board  and  lodging,  and  we  had  no  better  course  than 
to  accept  of  both.  So  we  let  our  camels  fling  them- 
selves out  like  dead  or  dying  alongside  of  the  taber- 
nacle, and  entered  to  drink  water  mixed  with  sour 
milk."  Here  the  caravan  rested  for  a  day. 

"  About  sunrise  on  the  25th  of  July  we  left  Djobbah, 
crossed  the  valley  to  the  southeast,  and  entered  once 
more  on  a  sandy  desert,  but  a  desert,  as  I  have  before 
hinted,  of  a  milder  and  less  inhospitable  character  than 
the  dreary  Nefood  of  two  days  back.  Here  the  sand  is 
thickly  sprinkled  with  shrubs  and  not  altogether  de- 
void of  herbs  and  grass ;  while  the  undulations  of 
the  surface,  running  invariably  from  north  to  south, 
according  to  the  general  rule  of  that  phenomenon, 
are  much  less  deeply  traced,  though  never  wholly  ab- 


CROSSING  THE  NBFOOD  133 

sent.  "We  paced  on  all  day  ;  at  nightfall  we  found 
ourselves  on  the  edge  of  a  vast  funnel-like  depression, 
where  the  sand  recedes  on  all  sides  to  leave  bare  the 
chalky  bottom-strata  below;  here  lights  glimmering 
amid  Bedouin  tents  in  the  depths  of  the  valley  in- 
vited us  to  try  our  chance  of  a  preliminary  supper 
before  the  repose  of  the  night.  We  had,  however, 
much  ado  to  descend  the  cavity,  so  steep  was  the 
sandy  slope  ;  while  its  circular  form  and  spiral  mark- 
ing reminded  me  of  Edgar  Foe's  imaginative  '  Mael- 
strom.' The  Arabs  to  whom  the  watch-fires  belonged 
were  shepherds  of  the  numerous  Shomer  tribe, 
whence  the  district,  plain  and  mountain,  takes  its 
name.  They  welcomed  us  to  a  share  of  their  supper  ; 
and  a  good  dish  of  rice,  instead  of  insipid  samh  or 
pasty,  augured  a  certain  approach  to  civilization. 

"  At  break  of  day  we  resumed  our  march,  and  met 
with  camels  and  camel-drivers  in  abundance,  besides 
a  few  sheep  and  goats.  Before  noon  we  had  got 
clear  of  the  sandy  patch,  and  entered  in  its  stead  on 
a  firm  gravelly  soil.  Here  we  enjoyed  an  hour  of 
midday  halt  and  shade  in  a  natural  cavern,  hollowed 
out  in  a  high  granite  rock,  itself  an  advanced  guard 
of  the  main  body  of  Djebel  Shomer.  This  moun- 
tain range  now  rose  before  us,  wholly  unlike  any 
other  that  I  had  ever  seen  ;  a  huge  mass  of  crag  and 
stone,  piled  up  in  fantastic  disorder,  with  green  val- 
leys and  habitations  intervening.  The  sun  had  not 
yet  set  when  we  reached  the  pretty  village  of  Kcnah, 
amid  groves  and  waters — no  more,  however,  running 
streams  like  those  of  Djowf,  but  an  artificial  irriga- 
tion by  means  of  wells  and  buckets.  At  some  dis- 


134  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

tance  from  the  houses  stood  a  cluster  of  three  or  four 
large  overshadowing  trees,  objects  of  peasant  venera- 
tion here,  as  once  in  Palestine.  The  welcome  of  the 
inhabitants,  when  we  dismounted  at  their  doors,  was 
hearty  and  hospitable,  nay,  even  polite  and  consider- 
ate ;  and  a  good  meal,  with  a  dish  of  fresh  grapes 
for  dessert,  was  soon  set  before  us  in  the  veranda  of 
a  pleasant  little  house,  much  reminding  me  of  an 
English  farm-cottage,  whither  the  good  man  of  the 
dwelling  had  invited  us  for  the  evening.  All  ex- 
pressed great  desire  to  profit  by  our  medical  skill ; 
and  on  our  reply  that  we  could  not  conveniently  open 
shop  except  at  the  capital,  Ha'yel,  several  announced 
their  resolution  to  visit  us  there ;  and  subsequently 
kept  their  word,  though  at  the  cost  of  about  twenty- 
four  miles  of  journey.  H  , 

"We  rose  very  early.  Our  path,  well  tracked  and 
trodden,  now  lay  between  ridges  of  precipitous  rock, 
rising  abruptlj7  from  a  level  and  grassy  plain  ;  some- 
times the  road  was  sunk  in  deep  gorges,  sometimes 
it  opened  out  on  wider  spaces,  where  trees  and 
villages  appeared,  while  the  number  of  wayfarers, 
on  foot  or  mounted,  single  or  in  bands,  still  increased 
as  we  drew  nearer  to  the  capital.  There  was  an  air 
of  newness  and  security  about  the  dwellings  and 
plantations  hardly  to  be  found  nowadays  in  any 
other  part  of  Arabia,  Oman  alone  excepted.  I  may 
add  also  the  great  frequency  of  young  trees  and 
ground  newly  enclosed,  a  cheerful  sight,  yet  further 
enhanced  by  the  total  absence  of  ruins,  so  common 
in  the  East ;  hence  the  general  effect  produced  by 
Djebel  Shomer,  when  contrasted  with  most  other 


CROSSING  TUB  NEFOOD  135 

provinces  or  kingdoms  around,  near  and  far,  is  that 
of  a  newly  coined  piece,  in  all  its  sharpness  and 
shine,  amid  a  dingy  heap  of  defaced  currency.  It  is 
a  fresh  creation,  and  shows  what  Arabia  might  be 
under  better  rule  than  it  enjoys  for  the  most  part : 
an  inference  rendered  the  more  conclusive  by  the 
fact  that  in  natural  and  unaided  fertility  Djebel  Sho- 
mer  is  perhaps  the  least  favored  district  in  the  entire 
central  peninsula. 

"  We  were  here  close  under  the  backbone  of 
Djebel  Shomer,  whose  reddish  crags  rose  in  the 
strangest  forms  on  our  right  and  left,  while  a  narrow 
cleft  down  to  the  plain-level  below  gave  opening  to 
the  capital.  Very  hard  to  bring  an  army  through 
this  against  the  will  of  the  inhabitants  thought  I ; 
fifty  resolute  men  could,  in  fact,  hold  the  pass 
against  thousands  ;  nor  is  there  any  other  approach 
to  Ila'yel  from  the  northern  direction.  The  town  is 
situated  near  the  very  centre  of  the  mountains;  it 
was  as  yet  entirely  concealed  from  our  view  by  the 
windings  of  the  road  amid  huge  piles  of  rock. 
Meanwhile  from  Djobbah  to  Ila'yel  the  whole  plain 
gradually  rises,  running  up  between  the  sierras, 
whose  course  from  northeast  to  southwest  crosses 
two-thirds  of  the  upper  peninsula,  and  forms  the  out- 
work of  the  central  high  country.  Hence  the  name 
of  Nedjed,  literally  '  highland,'  in  contradistinction 
to  the  coast  and  the  outlying  provinces  of  lesser  ele- 
vation. 

"The  sun  was  yet  two  hours' distance  above  the 
western  horizon,  when  we  threaded  the  narrow  and 
winding  defile,  till  we  arrived  at  its  farther  end. 


136  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

Here  we  found  ourselves  on  the  verge  of  a  large 
plain,  many  miles  in  length  and  breadth,  and  girt  on 
every  side  by  a  high  mountain  rampart,  while  right 
in  front  of  us,  at  scarce  a  quarter  of  an  hour's  march, 
lay  the  town  of  Ha'yel,  surrounded  by  fortifications 
of  about  twenty  feet  in  height,  with  bastion  towers, 
some  round,  some  square,  and  large  folding  gates  at 
intervals ;  it  offered  the  same  show  of  freshness,  and 
even  of  something  like  irregular  elegance,  that  had 
before  struck  ns  in  the  villages  on  our  way.  This, 
however,  was  a  full-grown  town,  and  its  area  might 
readily  hold  three  hundred  thousand  inhabitants  or 
more,  were  its  streets  and  houses  close  packed  like 
those  of  Brussels  or  Paris.  But  the  number  of  citi- 
zens does  not,  in  fact,  exceed  twenty  or  twenty-two 
thousand,  thanks  to  the  many  large  gardens,  open 
spaces,  and  even  plantations,  included  within  the 
outer  walls,  while  the  immense  palace  of  the  mon- 
arch alone,  with  its  pleasure-grounds  annexed,  occu- 
pies about  one-tenth  of  the  entire  city.  Our  atten- 
tion was  attracted  by  a  lofty  tower,  some  seventy 
feet  in  height,  of  recent  construction  and  oval  form, 
belonging  to  the  royal  residence.  The  plain  all 
around  the  town  is  studded  with  isolated  houses  and 
gardens,  the  property  of  wealthy  citizens,  or  of  mem- 
bers of  the  kingly  family,  and  on  the  far-off  skirts  of 
the  plain  appear  the  groves  belonging  to  Kafar,  'Ad- 
wah,  and  other  villages,  placed  at  the  openings  of  the 
mountain  gorges  that  conduct  to  the  capital.  The 
town  walls  and  buildings  shone  yellow  in  the  evening 
sun,  and  the  whole  prospect  was  one  of  thriving 
security,  delightful  to  view,  though  wanting  in  the 


CROSSING  THE  NEFOOD  137 

peculiar  luxuriance  of  vegetation  offered  by  the  val- 
ley of  Djowf.  A  few  Bedouin  tents  lay  clustered 
close  by  the  ramparts,  and  the  great  number  of  horse- 
men, footmen,  camels,  asses,  peasants,  townsmen,  boys, 
women,  and  other  like,  all  passing  to  and  fro  on  their 
various  avocations,  gave  cheerfulness  and  animation 
to  the  scene. 

'*  We  crossed  the  plain  and  made  for  the  town  gate, 
opposite  the  castle ;  next,  with  no  little  difficulty,  pre- 
vailed on  our  camels  to  pace  the  high- walled  street, 
and  at  last  arrived  at  the  open  space  in  front  of  the 
palace.  It  was  yet  an  hour  before  sunset,  or  rather 
more ;  the  business  of  the  day  was  over  in  Ila'yel, 
and  the  outer  courtyard  where  we  now  stood  was 
crowded  with  loiterers  of  all  shapes  and  sizes.  We 
made  our  camels  kneel  down  close  by  the  palace  gate, 
alongside  of  some  forty  or  fifty  others,  and  then 
stepped  back  to  repose  our  very  weary  limbs  on  a 
stone  bench  opposite  the  portal,  and  awaited  what 
might  next  occur." 
10 


CHAPTER  XL 

PALGRAVE'S   TRAVELS— LIFE  IN   HA'YEL 

"AT  onr  first  appearance  a  slight  stir  takes  place. 
f~\  The  customary  salutations  are  given  and  re- 
turned by  those  nearest  at  hand  ;  and  a  small  knot  of 
inquisitive  idlers,  come  up  to  see  what  and  whence 
we  are,  soon  thickens  into  a  dense  circle.  Many 
questions  are  asked,  first  of  our  conductor,  Djedey. 
and  next  of  ourselves ;  our  answers  are  tolerably 
laconic.  Meanwhile  a  thin,  middle-sized  individual, 
whose  countenance  bears  the  type  of  smiling  urbanity 
and  precise  etiquette,  befitting  his  office  at  court,  ap- 
proaches us.  His  neat  and  simple  dress,  the  long 
silver-circled  staff  in  his  hand,  his  respectful  saluta- 
tion, his  politely  important  manner,  all  denote  him 
one  of  the  palace  retinue.  It  is  Seyf,  the  court  cham- 
berlain, whose  special  duty  is  the  reception  and  pres- 
entation of  strangers.  "We  rise  to  receive  him,  and 
are  greeted  with  a  decorous  *  Peace  be  with  you, 
brothers,'  in  the  fulness  of  every  inflection  and  ac- 
cent that  the  most  scrupulous  grammarian  could  de- 
sire. •  We  return  an  equally  Priscianic  salutation. 
*  Whence  have  you  come  ? '  is  the  first  question.  '  May 
good  attend  you!'  Of  course  we  declare  ourselves 
physicians  from  Syria,  for  our  bulkier  wares  had 


LIFE  IN  HA' TEL  139 

been  disposed  of  in  the  Djowf,  and  \ve  were  now  re- 
solved to  depend  on  medical  practice  alone.  *  And 
what  do  yon  desire  here  in  our  town  ?  may  God  grant 
you  success ! '  says  Seyf.  '  We  desire  the  favor  of 
God  most  high,  and,  secondly,  that  of  Telal,'  is  our 
answer,  conforming  our  style  to  the  correctest  formu- 
las of  the  country,  which  we  had  already  begun  to 
pick  up.  Whereupon  Seyf,  looking  very  sweet  the 
while,  begins,  as  in  duty  bound,  a  little  encomium 
on  his  master's  generosity  and  other  excellent  quali- 
ties, and  assures  us  that  we  have  exactly  reached  right 
quarters. 

"  But  alas !  while  my  comrade  and  myself  were 
exchanging  side-glances  of  mutual  felicitation  at  such 
fair  beginnings,  Nemesis  suddenly  awoke  to  claim 
her  due,  and  the  serenity  of  our  horizon  was  at  once 
overcast  by  an  unexpected  and  most  unwelcome 
cloud.  My  readers  are  doubtless  already  aware  that 
nothing  was  of  higher  importance  for  us  than  the 
most  absolute  incognito,  above  all  in  whatever  re- 
garded European  origin  and  character.  In  fact,  once 
known  for  Europeans,  all  intimate  access  and  sincer- 
ity of  intercourse  with  the  people  of  the  land  would 
have  been  irretrievably  lost,  and  our  onward  progress 
to  Nedjed  rendered  totally  impossible.  These  were 
the  very  least  inconveniences  that  could  follow  such 
a  detection  ;  others  much  more  disagreeable  might 
also  be  well  apprehended.  Now  thus  far  nothing 
had  occurred  capable  of  exciting  serious  suspicion  ; 
no  one  had  recognized  us,  or  pretended  to  recognize. 
We,  too,  on  our  part,  had  thought  that  Gaza,  Ma'an, 
and  perhaps  the  Djowf,  were  the  only  localities 


140  TRA  VEL8  IN  ARABIA 

where  this  kind  of  recognition  had  to  be  feared.  But 
we  had  reckoned  without  our  host;  the  first  real  dan- 
ger was  reserved  for  Ha'yel,  within  the- very  limits 
of  Nedjed,  and  with  all  the  desert-belt  between  us 
and  our  old  acquaintances. 

"  For  while  Seyf  was  running  through  the  prelim- 
inaries of  his  politeness,  I  saw  to  my  horror,  amid 
the  circle  of  bystanders,  a  figure,  a  face  well  known 
to  me  scarce  six  months  before  in  Damascus,  and 
well  known  to  many  others  also,  now  merchant,  now 
trader,  now  post-contractor,  shrewd,  enterprising,  and 
active,  though  nigh  fifty  years  of  age,  and  intimate 
with  many  Europeans  of  considerable  standing  in 
Syria  and  Bagdad — one,  in  short,  accustomed  to  all 
kinds  of  men,  and  not  to  be  easily  imposed  on  by 
any. 

"While  I  involuntarily  stared  dismay  on  my 
friend,  and  yet  doubted  if  it  could  possibly  be  he,  all 
incertitude  was  dispelled  by  his  cheerful  salutation, 
in  the  confidential  tone  of  an  old  acquaintance,  fol- 
lowed by  wondering  inquiries  as  to  what  wind  had 
blown  me  hither,  and  what  I  meant  to  do  here  in 
Ha'yel. 

"  Wishing  him  most  heartily  somewhere  else,  I 
had  nothing  for  it  but  to  '  fix  a  vacant  stare,'  to  give 
a  formal  return  of  greeting,  and  then  silence. 

"  But  misfortunes  never  come  single.  While  I 
was  thus  on  my  defensive  against  so  dangerous  an 
antagonist  in  the  person  of  my  free-and  easy  friend, 
lo!  a  tall,  sinister  -  featured  individual  comes  up, 
clad  in  the  dress  of  an  inhabitant  of  Kaseem,  and 
abruptly  breaks  in  with,  '  And  I  too  have  seen  him 


LIFE  IN  HA' TEL  141 

at  Damascus,'  naming  at  the  same  time  the  place  and 
date  of  the  meeting,  and  specifying  exactly  the  cir- 
cumstances most  calculated  to  set  me  down  for  a  gen- 
uine European. 

"  Had  he  really  met  me  as  he  said  ?  I  cannot 
precisely  say ;  the  place  he  mentioned  was  one 
whither  men,  half-spies,  half-travellers,  and  whole 
intriguers  from  the  interior  districts,  nay,  even  from 
Xedjed  itself,  not  unfreqnently  resort ;  and,  as  I 
myself  was  conscious  of  having  paid  more  than  one 
visit  there,  my  officious  interlocutor  might  very  pos- 
sibly have  been  one  of  those  present  on  some  such 
occasion.  So  that  although  I  did  not  now  recognize 
him  in  particular,  there  was  a  strong  intrinsic  proba- 
bility in  favor  of  his  ill-timed  veracity  ;  and  his  thus 
coming  in  to  support  the  first  witness  in  his  asser- 
tions rendered  my  predicament,  already  unsafe,  yet 
worse. 

"  But  ere  I  could  frame  an  answer  or  resolve  what 
course  to  hold,  up  came  a  third,  who,  by  overshoot- 
ing the  mark,  put  the  game  into  our  hands.  He  too 
salaams  me  as  an  old  friend,  and  then,  turning  to 
those  around,  now  worked  up  to  a  most  extraordi- 
nary pitch  of  amazed  curiosity,  says,  *  And  1  also 
know  him  perfectly  well  ;  1  have  often  met  him  at 
Cairo,  where  he  lives  in  great  wealth  in  a  large  house 
near  the  Kasr  el-'Eynee  ;  his  name  is  'Abd-es-Saleeb  ; 
he  is  married,  and  has  a  very  beautiful  daughter,  who 
rides  an  expensive  horse,'  etc. 

"  Here  at  last  was  a  pure  invention  or  mistake  (for 
I  know  not  which  it  was)  that  admitted  of  a  flat  de- 
nial. *  Aslahek  Allah/  '  May  Heaven  set  you  right,' 


142  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

said  I;  'never  did  I  live  at  Cairo,  nor  have  I  the 
blessing  of  any  horse-riding  young  ladies  for  daugh- 
ters.' Then,  looking  very  hard  at  my  second  detect- 
or, toward  whom  I  had  all  the  right  of  doubt,  '  I  do 
not  remember  having  ever  seen  you ;  think  well  as 
to  what  you  say  ;  many  a  man  besides  myself  has  a 
reddish  beard  and  straw-colored  mustaches,'  taking 
pains,  however,  not  to  seem  particularly  '  careful  to 
answer  him  in  this  matter,'  but  as  if  merely  ques- 
tioning the  precise  identity.  But  for  the  first  of  the 
trio  I  knew  not  what  to  do  or  to  reply,  so  I  contin- 
ued to  look  at  him  with  a  killing  air  of  inquisitive 
stupidity,  as  though  not  fully  understanding  his 
meaning. 

"  But  Seyf,  though  himself  at  first  somewhat  stag- 
gered by  this  sudden  downpour  of  recognition,  was 
now  reassured  by  the  discomfiture  of  the  third  wit- 
ness, and  came  to  the  convenient  conclusion  that  the 
two  others  were  no  better  worthy  of  credit.  '  Never 
mind  them,'  exclaimed  he,  addressing  himself  to  us, 
'  they  are  talkative  liars,  mere  gossipers  ;  let  them 
alone,  they  do  not  deserve  attention ;  come  along 
with  me  to  the  k'hawah  in.  the  palace,  and  rest  your- 
selves.' Then  turning  to  my  poor  Damascene  friend, 
whose  only  wrong  was  to  have  been  overmuch  in 
the  right,  he  sharply  chid  him,  and  next  the  rest, 
and  led  us  off,  most  glad  to  follow  the  leader, 
through  the  narrow  and  dark  portal  into  the  royal 
residence. 

"  Here  we  remained  whilst  coffee  was,  as  wont, 
prepared  and  served.  Seyf,  who  had  left  us  awhile, 
now  came  back  to  say  that  Telal  would  soon  return 


LIFE  IN  HA'YEL  143 

from  his  afternoon  walk  in  a  garden  where  he  had 
been  taking  the  air,  and  that  if  we  would  pass  into 
the  outer  court  we  should  then  and  there  have  the 
opportunity  of  paying  him  our  introductory  respects. 
He  added  that  we  should  afterward  find  our  supper 
ready,  and  be  provided  also  with  good  lodgings  for 
the  night ;  finally,  that  the  k'hawah  and  what  it  con- 
tained were  always  at  our  disposition  so  long  as  we 
should  honor  Ila'yel  by  our  presence. 

"  We  rose  accordingly  and  returned  with  Seyf  to 
the  outside  area.  It  was  fuller  than  ever,  on  account 
of  the  expected  appearance  of  the  monarch.  A  few 
minutes  later  we  saw  a  crowd  approach  from  the 
upper  extremity  of  the  place,  namely,  that  toward 
the  market.  When  the  new-comers  drew  near,  we 
saw  them  to  be  almost  exclusively  armed  men,  with 
some  of  the  more  important-looking  citizens,  but  all 
on  foot.  In  the  midst  of  this  circle,  though  detached 
from  those  around  them,  slowly  advanced  three  per- 
sonages, whose  dress  and  deportment,  together  with 
the  respectful  distance  observed  by  the  rest,  an- 
nounced superior  rank.  '  Here  comes  Telal,'  said 
Seyf,  in  an  undertone. 

"  The  midmost  figure  was  in  fact  that  of  the  prince 
himself.  Short  of  stature,  broad-shouldered,  and 
strongly  built,  of  a  very  dusky  complexion,  with  long 
black  hair,  dark  and  piercing  eyes,  and  a  countenance 
rather  severe  than  open,  Telal  might  readily  be  sup- 
posed above  forty  years  in  age,  though  he  is  in  fact 
thirty-seven  or  thirty-eight  at  most.  His  step  was 
measured,  his  demeanor  grave  and  somewhat  haughty. 
His  dress,  a  long  robe  of  cashmere  shawl,  covered 


144  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

the  white  Arab  shirt,  and  over  all  he  wore  a  deli- 
cately worked  cloak  of  camel's-hair  from  Oman,  a 
great  rarity,  and  highly  valued  in  this  part  of  Arabia. 
His  head  was  adorned  by  a  broidered  handkerchief, 
in  which  silk  and  gold  thread  had  not  been  spared, 
and  girt  by  a  broad  band  of  camel's-hair  entwined 
with  red  silk,  the  manufacture  of  Meshid  'Alee.  A 
gold-mounted  sword  hung  by  his  side,  and  his  dress 
was  perfumed  with  musk,  in  a  degree  better  adapted 
to  Arab  than  to  European  nostrils.  His  glance  never 
rested  for  a  moment ;  sometimes  it  turned  on  his 
nearer  companions,  sometimes  on  the  crowd  ;  I  have 
seldom  seen  so  truly  an  *  eagle  eye,'  in  rapidity  and 
in  brilliancy. 

"  By  his  side  walked  a  tall,  thin  individual,  clad  in 
garments  of  somewhat  less  costly  material,  but  of 
gayer  colors  and  embroidery  than  those  of  the  king 
himself.  His  face  announced  unusual  intelligence 
and  courtly  politeness  ;  his  sword  was  not,  however, 
adorned  with  gold,  the  exclusive  privilege  of  the 
royal  family,  but  with  silver  only. 

This  was  Zamil,  the  treasurer  and  prime  minister 
— sole  minister,  indeed,  of  the  autocrat.  Raised 
from  beggary  by  Abdallah,  the  late  king,  who  had 
seen  in  the  ragged  orphan  signs  of  rare  capacity,  he 
continued  to  merit  the  uninterrupted  favor  of  his 
patron,  and  after  his  death  had  become  equally,  or 
yet  more,  dear  to  Telal,  who  raised  him  from  post  to 
post,  till  he  at  last  occupied  the  highest  position  in 
the  kingdom  after  the  monarch  himself.  Of  the  de- 
murely smiling  Abd-el-Mahsin,  the  second  companion 
of  the  king's  evening  walk,  I  will  say  nothing  for  the 


LIFE  IN  UA'YKL  U5 

moment ;  we  shall  have  him  before  long  for  a  very 
intimate  acquaintance  and  a  steady  friend. 

"Everyone  stood  up  as  Telal  drew  nigh.  Seyf 
gave  us  a  sign  to  follow  him,  made  way  through  the 
crowd,  and  saluted  his  sovereign  with  the  authorized 
formula  of  '  Peace  be  with  you,  O  the  Protected  of 
God  ! '  Telal  at  once  cast  on  us  a  penetrating  glance, 
and  addressed  a  question  in  a  low  voice  to  Seyf, 
whose  answer  was  in  the  same  tone.  The  prince 
then  looked  again  toward  us,  but  with  a  friendlier 
expression  of  face.  We  approached  and  touched  his 
open  hand,  repeating  the  same  salutation  as  that  used 
by  Seyf.  Xo  bow,  hand-kissing,  or  other  ceremony 
is  customary  on  these  occasions.  Telal  returned  our 
greeting,  and  then,  without  a  word  more  to  us,  whis- 
pered a  moment  to  Seyf,  and  passed  on  through  the 
palace  gate. 

"  '  He  will  give  you  a  private  audience  to-morrow,' 
said  Seyf,  '  and  I  will  take  care  that  you  have  notice 
of  it  in  due  time  ;  meanwhile  come  to  supper.'  The 
sun  had  already  set  when  we  re-entered  the  palace. 
This  time,  after  passing  the  arsenal,  we  turned  aside 
into  a  large  square  court,  distinct  from  the  former, 
and  surrounded  by  an  open  veranda,  spread  with 
mats.  Two  large  ostriches,  presents  offered  to  Telal 
by  some  chiefs  of  the  Solibah  tribe,  strutted  about 
the  enclosure,  and  afforded  much  amusement  to  the 
negro  boys  and  scullions  of  the  establishment.  Seyf 
conducted  us  to  the  further  side  of  the  court,  where 
we  seated  ourselves  under  the  portico. 

"  Hither  some  black  slaves  immediately  brought 
the  supper ;  the  '  piece  de  resistance '  was,  as  usual,  a 


146  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

huge  dish  of  rice  and  boiled  meat,  with  some  thin 
cakes  of  unleavened  bread  and  dates,  and  small 
onions  with  chopped  gourds  intermixed.  The  cook- 
ery was  better  than  what  we  had  heretofore  tasted, 
though  it  would,  perhaps,  have  hardly  passed  muster 
with  a  Yatel.  "We  made  a  hearty  meal,  took  coffee 
in  the  k'hawah,  and  then  returned  to  sit  awhile  and 
smoke  our  pipes  in  the  open  air.  Keeds  not  say  how 
lovely  are  the  summer  evenings,  how  cool  the  breeze, 
how  pure  the  sky,  in  these  mountainous  districts." 

Palgrave  gives  a  historical  sketch  of  the  rise  of 
Prince  Telal  to  a  position  of  power  and  importance 
in  Central  Arabia,  scarcely  secondary  to  that  of  the 
Wahabee  ruler  of  Nedjed.  The  region  of  Djebel 
Shomer  was  subjected  to  the  Wahabee  rule  during 
the  last  century,  and  the  severe  discipline  of  the  new 
creed  was  forced  upon  its  inhabitants.  But,  after 
the  taking  of  Derreyeh  by  Ibrahim  Pasha,  the  peo- 
ple regained  a  partial  independence,  and  a  rivalry 
for  the  chieftainship  ensued  between  the  two  noble 
houses  of  Djaaper  and  Bey  t  Alee.  The  leader  of  the 
former  was  a  young  man  named  Abdallah,  of  more 
than  ordinary  character  and  intelligence,  wealthy  and 
popular.  But  he  was  defeated  in  the  struggle,  and 
about  the  year  1820  was  driven  into  exile. 

With  a  small  band  of  followers  he  reached  the 
Wady  Sirhan  (traversed  by  Palgrave  on  his  way  to 
the  Djowf),  where  they  were  attacked  by  the  Aney- 
zeh  Bedouins,  all  the  rest  slain,  and  Abdallah  left  for 
dead  on  the  sands.  The  Arab  story  is  that  the  lo- 
custs came  around  them,  scattered  the  sand  with  their 
wings  and  feet  upon  his  wounds  and  thus  stopped  the 


LIFE  IN  EM  TEL  147 

flow  of  blood,  while  a  flock  of  partridges  hung  above 
him  to  screen  him  from  the  burning  sun.  A  mer- 
chant of  Damascus,  passing  by  with  his  caravan, 
beheld  the  miracle,  took  the  youth,  bound  up  his 
wounds,  and  restored  him  to  health  by  the  most  ten- 
der care.  When  he  had  recovered  his  vi^or  in  Da- 

o 

mascus,  the  generous  merchant  sent  him  back  to 
Arabia. 

He  went  first  to  the  Nedjed,  entered  the  service  of 
the  Wahabee  chief,  rose  to  high  military  rank,  and 
finally,  by  his  own  personal  bravery,  secured  the  sov- 
ereignty to  Feysul,  the  present  (1863)  ruler.  The  lat- 
ter then  gave  him  an  army  to  recover  his  heritage  of 
Djebel  Shorner,  and  about  the  year  1830  his  sway 
was  secured  in  his  native  country.  The  rival  clan 
of  Beyt  Alee  was  extirpated,  only  one  child  being 
left,  whom  Telal  afterward,  with  a  rare  but  politic 
generosity,  restored  to  wealth  and  honors. 

Abdallah  took  every  means  to  strengthen  his  pow- 
er. He  found  it  necessary,  through  his  dependence 
on  Feysul,  to  establish  the  Wahabee  creed  ;  he  used 
the  Bedouins  as  allies,  in  order  to  repress  the  rivalry 
of  the  nobles,  and  thus  gained  power  at  the  expense 
of  popularity.  Many  plots  were  formed  against 
him,  many  attempts  made  to  assassinate  him,  but 
they  all  failed  :  his  lucky  star  attended  him  through- 
out. Up  to  this  time  he  had  dwelt  in  a  quarter  of 
the  capital  which  the  old  chieftains  and  the  noblity 
had  mainly  chosen  for  their  domicile,  and  where  the 
new  monarch  was  surrounded  by  men  his  equals  in 
birth  and  of  even  more  ancient  title  to  command. 
But  now  he  added  a  new  quarter  to  the  town,  and 


148  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

there  laid  the  foundations  of  a  vast  palace  destined 
for  the  future  abode  of  the  king  and  the  display  of 
all  his  grandeur,  amid  streets  and  nobles  of  his  own 
creation.  The  walls  of  'the  projected  edifice  were 
fast  rising  when  he  died,  almost  suddenly,  in  1844  or 
1845,  leaving  three  sons — Telal,  Meta'ab,  and  Mo- 
hammed— the  eldest  scarce  twenty  years  of  age,  be- 
sides his  only  surviving  brother  Obeyd,  who  could 
not  then  have  been  much  under  fifty. 

"  Telal  was  already  highly  popular,"  says  Palgrave, 
"  much  more  so  than  his  father,  and  had  given  early 
tokens  of  those  superior  qualities  which  accompanied 
him  to  the  throne.  All  parties  united  to  proclaim 
him  sole  heir  to  the  kingdom  and  lawful  successor 
to  the  regal  power,  and  thus  the  rival  pretensions 
of  Obeyd,  hated  by  many  and  feared  by  all,  were 
smothered  at  the  outset  and  put  aside  without  a  con- 
test. 

"  The  young  sovereign  possessed,  in  fact,  all  that 
Arab  ideas  require  to  insure  good  government  and 
lasting  popularity.  Affable  toward  the  common  peo- 
ple, reserved  and  haughty  with  the  aristocracy,  cour- 
ageous and  skilful  in  war,  a  lover  of  commerce  and 
building  in  time  of  peace,  liberal  even  to  profusion, 
yet  always  careful  to  maintain  and  augment  the  state 
revenue,  neither  over-strict  nor  yet  scandalously  lax 
in  religion,  secret  in  his  designs,  but  never  known  to 
break  a  promise  once  given,  or  violate  a  plighted 
faith  ;  severe  in  administration,  yet  averse  to  blood- 
shed, he  offered  the  very  type  of  what  an  Arab 
prince  should  be.  I  might  add,  that  among  all  rulers 
or  governors,  European  or  Asiatic,  with  whose  ac- 


LIFE  IN  HA'  TEL  149 

quaintance  I  have  ever  chanced  to  be  honored,  I 
know  few  equal  in  the  true  art  of  government  to 
Telal,  son  of  Abdallah-ebn-Easheed. 

"  His  first  cares  were  directed  to  adorn  and  civil- 
ize the  capital.  Under  his  orders,  enforced  by  per- 
sonal superintendence,  the  palace  commenced  by  his 
father  was  soon  brought  to  completion.  But  he 
added,  what  probably  his  father  would  hardly  have 
thought  of,  a  long  row  of  warehouses,  the  dependen- 
cies and  property  of  the  same  palace  ;  next  he  built 
a  market-place  consisting  of  about  eighty  shops  or 
magazines,  destined  for  public  commerce  and  trade, 
and  lastly  constructed  a  large  mosque  for  the  official 
prayers  of  Friday.  Round  the  palace,  and  in  many 
other  parts  of  the  town,  he  opened  streets,  dug  wells, 
and  laid  out  extensive  gardens,  besides  strengthening 
the  old  fortifications  all  round  and  adding  new  ones. 
At  the  same  time  he  managed  to  secure  at  once  the 
fidelity  and  the  absence  of  his  dangerous  uncle  by 
giving  him  charge  of  those  military  expeditions 
which  best  satisfied  the  restless  energy  of  Obeyd. 
The  first  of  these  wars  was  directed,  I  know  not  on 
what  pretext,  against  Kheybar.  But  as  Telal  in- 
tended rather  to  enforce  submission  than  to  inflict 
ruin,  he  associated  with  Obeyd  in  the  military  com 
mand  his  own  brother  Meta'ab,  to  put  a  check  on  the 
ferocity  of  the  former.  Kheybar  was  conquered, 
and  Telal  sent  thither,  as  governor  in  his  name,  a 
young  man  of  Ila'yel,  prudent  and  gentle,  whom  I 
subsequently  met  when  he  was  on  a  visit  at  the  capital. 

"]Srot  long  after,  the  inhabitants  of  Kaseem,  weary 
of  Wahabee  tyranny,  turned  their  eyes  toward  Telal, 


150  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

who  had  already  given  a  generous  and  inviolable  asy- 
lum to  the  numerous  political  exiles  of  that  district. 
Secret  negotiations  took  place,  and  at  a  favorable 
moment  the  entire  uplands  of  that  province — after 
a  fashion  not  indeed  peculiar  to  Arabia — annexed 
themselves  to  the  kingdom  of  Shomer  by  universal 
and  unanimous  suffrage.  Telal  made  suitable  apolo- 
gies to  the  Nedjean  monarch,  the  original  sovereign 
of  the  annexed  district ;  he  could  not  resist  the  popu- 
lar wish  ;  it  had  been  forced  on  him,  etc. — but  West- 
ern Europe  is  familiar  with  the  style.  Feysul  felt 
the  inopportuneness  of  a  quarrel  with  the  rapidly 
growing  power  to  which  he  himself  had  given  origin 
only  a  few  years  before,  and,  after  a  wry  face  or  two, 
swallowed  the  pill.  Meanwhile  Telal  knowing  the 
necessity  of  a  high  military  reputation,  both  at  home 
and  abroad,  undertook  in  person  a  series  of  opera- 
tions againts  Teyma'  and  its  neighborhood,  and  at 
last  against  the  Djowf  itself.  Everywhere  his  arms 
were  successful,  and  his  moderation  in  victory  secured 
the  attachment  of  the  vanquished  themselves. 

"  Toward  his  own  subjects  his  conduct  is  uni- 
formly of  a  nature  to  merit  their  obedience  and  at- 
tachment, and  few  sovereigns  have  here  met  with 
better  success.  Once  a  day,  often  twice,  he  gives 
public  audience,  hears  patiently,  and  decides  in  per- 
son, the  minutest  causes  with  great  good  sense.  To 
the  Bedouins,  no  insignificant  portion  of  his  rule,  he 
makes  up  for  the  restraint  he  imposes,  and  the  trib- 
ute he  levies  from  them,  by  a  profusion  of  hospital- 
ity not  to  be  found  elsewhere  in  the  whole  of  Arabia 
from  Akabah  to  Aden.  His  guests  at  the  midday 


LIFE  IN  HA' TEL  151 

and  evening  meal  are  never  less  than  fifty  or  sixty, 
and  I  have  often  counted  up  to  two  hundred  at  a 
banquet,  while  presents  of  dress  and  arms  are  of  fre- 
quent if  not  daily  occurrence.  It  is  hard  for  Europe- 
ans to  estimate  how  much  popularity  such  conduct 
brings  an  Asiatic  prince.  Meanwhile  the  townsfolk 
and  villagers  love  him  for  the  more  solid  advantages 
of  undisturbed  peace  at  home,  of  flourishing  com- 
merce, of  extended  dominion,  and  military  glory. 

"  To  capital  punishment  he  is  decidedly  adverse, 
and  the  severest  penalty  with  which  he  has  hitherto 
chastised  political  offences  is  banishment  or  prison. 
Indeed,  even  in  cases  of  homicide  or  murder,  he  has 
been  known  not  unfrequently  to  avail  himself  of  the 
option  allowed  by  Arab  custom  between  a  fine  and 
retaliation,  and  to  buy  off  the  offender,  by  bestowing 
on  the  family  of  the  deceased  the  allotted  price  of 
blood  from  his  own  private  treasury,  and  that  from 
a  pure  motive  of  humanity.  When  execution  does 
take  place,  it  is  always  by  beheading;  nor  is  indeed 
any  other  mode  of  putting  to  death  customary  in 
Arabia.  Stripes,  however,  are  not  uncommon,  though 
administered  on  the  broad  back,  not  on  the  sole  of 
the  foot.  They  are  the  common  chastisement  for 
minor  offences,  like  stealing,  cursing,  or  quarrelling ; 
in  this  last  case  both  parties  usually  come  in  for  their 
share. 

"  With  his  numerous  retainers  he  is  almost  over- 
indulgent,  and  readily  pardons  a  mistake  or  a  negli- 
gence ;  falsehood  alone  he  never  forgives  ;  and  it  is 
notorious  that  whoever  has  once  lied  to  Telal  must 
give  up  all  hopes  of  future  favor." 


152  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

After  describing  the  public  audience  which  is  daily 
given  by  this  excellent  prince,  Palgrave  describes  the 
more  private  reception  which  was  accorded  to  him- 
self and  his  companion  : 

"  Telal,  once  free  from  the  mixed  crowd,  pauses  a 
moment  till  we  rejoin  him.  The  simple  and  custom- 
ary salutations  are  given  and  returned.  I  then  pre- 
sent him  with  oar  only  available  testimonial,  the 
scrap  written  by  Hamood  from  the  Djowf.  He  opens 
it,  and  hands  it  over  to  Zamil,  better  skilled  in  read- 
ing than  his  master.  Then  laying  aside  all  his 
wonted  gravity,  and  assuming  a  good-humored  srnile, 
lie  takes  my  hand  in  his  right  and  my  companion's  in 
his  left,  and  thus  walks  on  with  us  through  the  court, 
past  the  mosque,  and  down  the  market-place,  while 
his  attendants  form  a  moving  wall  behind  and  on 
either  side. 

"  He  was  in  his  own  mind  thoroughly  persuaded 
that  we  were,  as  we  appeared,  Syrians;  but  imag- 
ined, nor  was  he  entirely  in  the  wrong  thus  far,  that 
we  had  other  objects  in  view  than  mere  medical 
practice.  But  if  he  was  right  in  so  much,  he  was  less 
fortunate  in  the  interpretation  he  chose  to  put  on  our 
riddle,  having  imagined  that  our  real  scope  must  be 
to  buy  horses  for  some  government,  of  which  we 
must  be  the  agents  ;  a  conjecture  which  had  certainly 
the  merit  of  plausibility.  However,  Telal  had,  I  be- 
lieve, no  doubt  on  the  matter,  and  had  already  deter- 
mined to  treat  us  well  in  the  horse  business,  and  to 
let  us  have  a  good  bargain,  as  it  shortly  appeared. 

"  Accordingly  he  began  a  series  of  questions  and 
cross-questions,  all  in  a  jocose  way,  but  so  that  the 


LIFE  IN  HA'YEL  153 

very  drift  of  his  inquiries  soon  allowed  us  to  perceive 
what  lie  really  esteemed  us.  We,  following  our 
previous  resolution,  stuck  to  medicine,  a  family  in 
want,  hopes  of  good  success  under  the  royal  patron- 
age, and  much  of  the  same  tenor.  But  Telal  was 
not  so  easily  to  be  blinkered,  and  kept  to  his  first 
judgment.  Meanwhile  we  passed  down  the  street, 
lined  with  starers  at  the  king  and  us,  and  at  last  ar- 
rived at  the  outer  door  of  a  large  house  near  the 
farther  end  of  the  Sook  or  market-place  ;  it  belonged 
to  Hasan,  the  merchant  from  Mesh  id  'Alee. 

"  Three  of  the  retinue  stationed  themselves  by 
way  of  guard  at  the  street  door,  sword  in  hand. 
The  rest  entered  with  the  king  and  ourselves ;  we 
traversed  the  court-yard,  where  the  remainder  of  the 
armed  men  took  position,  while  we  went  on  to  the 
k'hawah.  It  was  small,  but  well  furnished  and  car- 
peted. Here  Telal  placed  us  amicably  by  his  side  in 
the  highest  place ;  his  brother  Mohammed  and  five 
or  six  others  were  admitted,  and  seated  themselves 
each  according  to  his  rank,  while  Hasan,  being  mas- 
ter of  the  house,  did  the  honors. 

"  Coffee  was  brought  and  pipes  lighted.  Mean- 
time Ebn-Rasheed  renewed  his  interrogatory,  skil- 
fully throwing  out  side  remarks,  now  on  the  govern- 
ment of  Syria,  now  on  that  of  Egypt,  then  on  the 
Bedouins  to  the  north  of  Djowf,  or  on  the  tribes  of 
Hedjaz,  or  on  the  banks  of  the  Euphrates,  thus  to 
gain  light  whence  and  to  what  end  we  had  in  fact 
come.  Next  he  questioned  us  on  medicine,  perhaps 
to  discover  whether  we  had  the  right  professional 
tone ;  then  on  horses,  about  which  same  noble  ani- 
11 


154  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

mals  we  affected  an  ignorance  unnatural  and  very  un- 
pardonable in  an  Englishman ;  but  for  which  1  hope 
afterward  to  make  amends  to  my  readers.  All  was 
in  vain  ;  and  after  a  full  hour  our  noble  friend  had 
only  managed  by  his  cleverness  to  get  himself  farther 
off  the  right  track  than  he  had  been  at  the  outset. 
He  felt  it,  and  determined  to  let  matters  have  their 
own  course,  and  to  await  the  result  of  time.  So  he 
ended  by  assuring  us  of  his  entire  confidence  and 
protection,  offering  us,  to  boot,  a  lodging  on  the  palace 
grounds.  But  this  we  declined,  being  desirous  of 
studying  the  country  as  it  was  in  itself,  not  through 
the  medium  of  a  court  atmosphere  ;  so  we  begged 
that  an  abode  might  be  assigned  us  as  near  the 
market  -  place  as  possible ;  and  this  he  promised, 
though  evidently  rather  put  out  by  our  independent 
ways. 

"  Excellent  water-melons,  ready  peeled  and  cut  up, 
with  peaches  hardly  ripe,  for  it  was  the  beginning  of 
the  season,  were  now  brought  in,  and  we  all  partook 
in  common.  This  was  the  signal  for  breaking  up  ; 
Telal  renewed  his  proffers  of  favor  and  patronage ; 
and  we  were  at  last  reconducted  to  our  lodgings  by 
one  of  the  royal  guard. 

"  Seyf  now  went  in  search  of  a  permanent  dwell- 
ing-place wherein  to  install  us ;  and,  before  evening, 
succeeded  in  finding  one  situated  in  a  street  leading 
at  right  angles  to  the  market,  and  at  no  unreasonable 
distance  from  the  palace.  Every  door  was  provided 
with  its  own  distinct  lock  ;  the  keys  here  are  made  of 
iron,  and  in  this  respect  Ha'yel  has  the  better  of  any 
other  Arab  town  it  was  my  chance  to  visit,  where  the 


LIFE  IN  HA'YEL  155 

keys  were  invariably  wooden,  and  thus  very  liable  to 
break  and  get  out  of  order. 

"  The  court-yard  was  soon  thronged  with  visitors, 
some  from  the  palace,  others  from  the  town.  One 
had  a  sick  relation,  whom  he  begged  us  to  come  and 
see,  another  some  personal  ailment,  a  third  had 
called  out  of  mere  politeness  or  curiosity  ;  in  short, 
men  of  all  conditions  and  of  all  ages,  but  for  the 
most  part  open  and  friendly  in  manner,  so  that  we 
could  already  anticipate  a  very  speedy  acquaintance 
with  the  town  and  whatever  it  contained. 

"  The  nature  of  our  occupations  now  led  to  a  cer- 
tain daily  routine,  though  it  was  often  agreeably  di- 
versified by  incidental  occurrences.  Perhaps  a  leaf 
taken  at  random  from  my  journal,  now  regularly 
kept,  may  serve  to  set  before  my  readers  a  tolerable 
sample  of  our  ordinary  course  of  life  and  society  at 
Ha'yel,  while  it  will  at  the  same  time  give  a  more 
distinct  idea  of  the  town  and  people  than  we  have 
yet  supplied. 

"  Be  it,  then,  the  10th  of  August,  whose  jotted  notes 
1  will  put  together  and  fill  up  the  blanks.  I  might 
equally  have  taken  the  9th  or  the  llth,  they  are  all 
much  the  same  ;  but  the  day  I  have  chosen  looks  a 
little  the  closer  written  of  the  two,  and  for  that  sole 
reason  I  prefer  giving  it. 

"  On  that  day,  then,  in  1862,  about  a  fortnight 
after  our  establishment  at  Ila'yel,  and  when  we  were, 
iu  consequence,  fully  inured  to  our  town  existence, 
Seleem  Abou  Mahmood-el-'Eys  and  Barakat-esh- 
Sliamee,  that  is,  my  companion  and  myself,  rose,  not 
from  our  beds,  for  we  had  none,  but  from  our  roof- 


156  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

spread  carpets,  and  took  advantage  of  the  silent 
hour  of  the  first  faint  dawn,  while  the  stars  yet  kept 
watch  in  the  sky  over  the  slumbering  inhabitants  of 
Shomer,  to  leave  the  house  for  a  cool  and  undis- 
turbed walk  ere  the  sun  should  arise  and  man  go 
forth  unto  his  work  and  to  his  labor.  We  locked  the 
outer  door,  and  then  passed  into  the  still  twilight 
gloom  down  the  cross-street  leading  to  the  market- 
place, which  we  next  followed  up  to  its  farther  or 
southwestern  end,  where  large  folding-gates  separate 
it  from  the  rest  of  the  town.  The  wolfish  city-dogs, 
whose  bark  and  bite,  too,  render  walking  the  streets 
at  night  a  rather  precarious  business,  now  tamely 
stalked  away  in  the  gloaming,  while  here  and  there  a 
crouching  camel,  the  packages  yet  on  his  back,  and 
his  sleeping  driver  close  by,  awaited  the  opening  of 
the  warehouse  at  whose  door  they  had  passed  the 
night.  Early  though  it  was,  the  market  gates  were 
already  unclosed,  and  the  guardian  sat  wakeful  in  his 
niche.  On  leaving  the  market  we  had  yet  to  go  down 
a  broad  street  of  houses  and  gardens  cheerfully  inter- 
mixed, till  at  last  we  reached  the  western  wall  of  the 
town,  or,  rather,  of  the  new  quarter  added  by  'Ab- 
dallah,  where  the  high  portal  between  round  flanking 
towers  gave  us  issue  on  the  open  plain,  blown  over  at 
this  hour  by  a  light  gale  of  life  and  coolness.  To  the 
west,  but  some  four  or  five  miles  distant,  rose  the 
serrated  mass  of  Djebel  Shomer,  throwing  up  its 
black  fantastic  peaks,  now  reddened  by  the  reflected 
dawn,  against  the  lead-blue  sky.  Northward  the 
same  chain  bends  round  till  it  meets  the  town,  and 
then  stretches  away  for  a  length  of  ten  or  twelve 


LIFE  IN  HA' TEL  157 

days'  journey,  gradually  losing  in  height  on  its  ap- 
proach to  Meshid  'Alee  and  the  valley  of  the  Eu- 
phrates. On  our  south  we  have  a  little  isolated  knot 
of  rocks,  and  far  off  the  extreme  ranges  of  Djebel 
Shomer,  or  'Aja,  to  give  it  its  historical  name,  in- 
tersected by  the  broad  passes  that  lead  on  in  the 
same  direction  to  Djebel  Solma.  Behind  us  lies 
the  capital.  Telal's  palace,  with  its  high  oval  keep, 
houses,  gardens,  walls,  and  towers,  all  coming  out 
black  against  the  ruddy  bars  of  eastern  light,  and  be- 
hind, a  huge  pyramidal  peak  almost  overhanging  the 
town,  and  connected  by  lower  rocks  with  the  main 
mountain  range  to  north  and  south,  those  stony  ribs 
that  protect  the  central  heart  of  the  kingdom.  In 
the  plain  itself  we  can  just  distinguish  by  the  doubt- 
ful twilight  several  blackish  patches  irregularly  scat- 
tered over  its  face,  or  seen  as  though  leaning  upward 
against  its  craggy  verge ;  these  are  the  gardens  and 
country  houses  of  'Obeyd  and  other  chiefs,  besides 
hamlets  and  villages,  such  as  Kefar  and  'Adwah, 
with  their  groves  of  palm  and  '  ithel '  (the  Arab 
larch),  now  blended  in  the  dusk.  One  solitary 
traveller  on  his  camel,  a  troop  of  jackals  sneaking  off 
to  their  rocky  cavern,  a  few  dingy  tents  of  Shomer 
Bedouins,  such  are  the  last  details  of  the  landscape. 
Far  away  over  the  southern  hills  beams  the  glory  of 
Canopus,  and  announces  a  new  Arab  year  ;  the  pole- 
star  to  the  north  lies  low  over  the  mountain  tops. 

"  We  pace  the  pebble-strown  flat  to  the  south  till 
we  leave  behind  us  the  length  of  the  town  wall,  and 
reach  the  little  cluster  of  rocks  already  mentioned. 
We  scramble  up  to  a  sort  of  niche  near  its  summit, 


158  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

whence,  at  a  height  of  a  hundred  feet  or  more,  we 
can  overlook  the  whole  extent  of  the  plain  and  wait 
the  sunrise.  Yet  before  the  highest  crags  of  Sho- 
mer  are  gilt  with  its  first  rays,  or  the  long  giant 
shadows  of  the  easterly  chain  have  crossed  the  level, 
we  see  groups  of  peasants,  who,  driving  their  fruit 
and  vegetable-laden  asses  before  them,  issue  like  lit- 
tle bands  of  ants  from  the  mountain  gorges  around, 
and  slowly  approach  on  the  tracks  converging  to  the 
capital.  Horse  in  on  from  the  town  ride  out  to  the 
gardens,  and  a  long  line  of  camels  on  the  westerly 
Medina  road  winds  np  toward  Ua'yel.  We  wait,  en- 
sconced in  our  rocky  lookout  and  enjoy  the  view  till 
the  sun  has  risen,  and  the  coolness  of  the  night  air 
warms  rapidly  into  the  sultry  day  ;  it  is  time  to  re- 
turn. So  we  quit  our  solitary  perch  and  descend  to 
the  plain,  where,  keeping  in  the  shadow  of  the  west- 
ern fortifications,  we  regain  the  town  gate  and  thence 
the  market. 

"  There  all  is  now  life  and  movement ;  some  of 
the  warehouses,  filled  with  rice,  floor,  spices,  or  cof- 
fee, and  often  concealing  in  their  inner  recesses 
stores  of  the  prohibited  American  weed,  are  already 
open  ;  we  salute  the  owners  while  we  pass,  and  they 
return  a  polite  and  friendly  greeting.  Camels  are 
unloading  in  the  811*6618,  and  Bedouins  standing  by, 
looking  anything  but  at  home  in  the  town.  The 
shoemaker  and  the  blacksmith,  those  two  main  props 
of  Arab  handicraft,  are  already  at  their  work,  and 
some  gossiping  bystanders  are  collected  around  them. 
At  the  corner  where  our  cross-street  falls  into  the 
market-place,  three  or  four  country  women  are 


LIFE  IN  II A' Y EL  ]f,!» 

boated,  with  piles  of  melons,  gourds,  egg-plant  fruita, 
and  the  other  garden  produce  before  them  for  sale. 
My  companion  falls  a  haggling  with  one  of  these 
village  nymphs,  and  ends  by  obtaining  a  dozen  '  bad- 
injans'  and  a  couple  of  water-melons,  each  bigger 
than  a  man's  head,  for  the  equivalent  of  an  English 
twopence.  With  this  purchase  we  return  home, 
where  we  shut  and  bolt  the  outer  door,  then  take  out 
of  a  flat  basket  what  has  remained  from  over  night 
of  our  wafer-like  Ila'yel  bread,  and  with  this  and  a 
melon  make  a  hasty  breakfast.  I  say  a  hasty  one, 
for  although  it  is  only  half  an  hour  after  sunrise,  re- 
peated knocks  at  our  portal  show  the  arrival  of  pa- 
tients and  visitors:  early  rising  being  here  the  fash- 
ion, and  in  reason  must  be  wherever  artificial  lighting 
is  scanty.  However,  we  do  not  at  once  open  to  our 
friends,  nor  will  they  take  offence  at  the  delay,  but 
remain  where  they  are,  chatting  together  before  out- 
door till  we  admit  them  ;  of  so  little  value  is  time 
here. 

"  In  comes  a  young  man  of  good  appearance,  clad 
in  the  black  cloak  common  to  all  of  the  middle  or 
upper  classes  in  Central  Arabia ;  in  his  hand  he 
bears  a  wand  of  the  Sidr  or  lotos-wood.  A  silver- 
hilted  sword  and  a  glistening  Kafee'yah  announce 
him  to  be  a  person  of  some  importance,  while  his 
long,  black  ringlets,  handsome  features,  and  slightly 
olive  complexion,  with  a  tall  stature  and  easy  gait, 
declare  him  a  native  of  Djebel  Shomer,  and  townsman 
of  JIa'yel  ;  it  is  'Ojeyl,  tlie  eldest-born  of  a  large 
family,  and  successor  to  the  comfortable  house  and 
garden  of  his  father,  not  long  since  deceased,  in  a 


160  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

quarter  of  the  town  some  twenty  minutes'  walk  dis- 
tant. He  leads  by  the  hand  his  younger  brother,  a 
modest-looking  lad  of  fair  complexion  and  slim  make, 
but  almost  blind,  and  evidently  out  of  health  also. 
After  passing  through  the  preliminary  ceremonies  of 
introduction  to  Barakat,  lie  approaches  my  recess, 
and  standing  without,  salutes  me  with  the  greatest 
deference.  Thinking  him  a  desirable  acquaintance 
I  receive  him  very  graciously,  and  he  begs  me  to  see 
what  is  the  matter  with  Ins  brother.  I  examine  the 
case,  finding  it  to  be  within  the  limits  of  my  skill, 
and  not  likely  to  require  more  than  a  very  simple 
course  of  treatment.  Accordingly  I  make  my  bar- 
gain for  the  chances  of  recovery,  and  find  'Ojeyl 
docile  to  the  terms  proposed,  and  with  little  disposi- 
tion, all  things  considered,  to  backwardness  in  pay- 
ment. Arabs,  indeed,  are  in  general  close  in  driving 
a  bargain  and  open  in  downright  giving ;  they  will 
chaffer  half  a  day  about  a  penny,  while  they  will 
throw  away  the  worth  of  pounds  on  the  first  asker. 
But  'Ojeyl  was  one  of  the  best  specimens  of  the  Ila'- 
yel  character,  and  of  the  clan  Ta'i,  renowned  in  all 
times  for  their  liberal  ways  and  high  sense  of  honor. 
I  next  proceed  to  administer  to  my  patient  such  drugs 
as  his  state  requires,  and  lie  receives  them  with  that 
air  of  absolute  and  half -religious  confidence  which 
well-educated  Arabs  show  to  their  physician,  whom 
they  regard  as  possessed  of  an  almost  sacred  and 
supernatural  power — a  feeling,  by  the  way,  hardly 
less  advantageous  to  the  patient  than  to  the  practi- 
tioner, and  which  may  often  contribute  much  to  the 
success  of  the  treatment. 


LIFE  IN  HA'YEL  161 

"  During  the  rest  of  my  stay  at  Ha'yel,  'Ojeyl  con- 
tinned  to  be  one  of  my  best  friends,  I  had  almost 
said  disciples ;  our  mutual  visits  were  frequent,  and 
always  pleasing  and  hearty.  His  brother's  cure, 
which  followed  in  less  than  a  fortnight,  confirmed 

o        ' 

his  attachment,  nor  had  I  reason  to  complain  of 
scantiness  in  his  retribution. 

u  Mean  while  the  court-yard  has  become  full  of  visit- 
ors. Close  by  my  door  I  see  the  intelligent  and  de- 
murely smiling  face  of  'Abd-el-Mahsin,  where  he  sits 
between  two  pretty  and  well-dressed  boys ;  they  are 
the  two  elder  children  of  Telal — Bedr  and  Bander. 
Their  guardsman,  a  negro  slave  with  a  handsome  cloak 
and  sword,  is  seated  a  little  lower  down  ;  farther  on 
are  two  townsmen,  one  armed,  the  other  with  a  wand 
at  his  side.  A  rough,  good-natured  youth,  of  a  bronzed 
complexion,  and  whose  dingy  clothes  bespeak  his  me- 
chanical profession,  is  talking  with  another  of  a  dress 
somewhat  different  in  form  and  coarser  in  material 
than  that  usually  worn  in  Ha'yel ;  this  latter  must  be 
a  peasant  from  some  one  of  the  mountain  villages. 
Two  Bedouins,  ragged  and  uncouth,  have  straggled 
in  with  the  rest ;  while  a  tall,  dark-featured  youth, 
with  a  gilded  hilt  to  his  sword,  and  more  silk  about 
him  than  a  Wahabee  would  approve,  has  taken  his 
place  opposite  to  'Abd-el-Mahsin,  and  is  trying  to 
draw  him  into  conversation.  But  this  last  has  asked 
Barakat  to  lend  him  one  of  my  Arabic  books  to  read, 
and  is  deeply  engaged  in  its  perusal. 

"'Ojeyl  has  taken  leave,  and  I  give  the  next  turn  of 
course  to  'Abd-el-Mahsin.  He  informs  me  that  Te- 
lal has  sent  me  his  two  sons,  Bedr  and  Bander,  that 


162  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

I  may  examine  their  state  of  health,  and  see  if  they 
require  doctoring.  This  is  in  truth  a  little  stroke  of 
policy  on  Telal's  part,  who  knows  equally  with  my- 
self that  the  boys  are  perfectlj'  well  and  want  noth- 
ing at  all.  But  he  wishes  to  give  us  a  mark  of  his 
confidence,  and  at  the  same  time  to  help  us  in  estab- 
lishing our  medical  reputation  in  the  town ;  for 
though  by  no  means  himself  persuaded  of  the  reality 
of  our  doctoral  title,  lie  understands  the  expediency 
of  saving  appearances  before  the  public. 

"  Well,  the  children  are  passed  in  review  with  all 
the  seriousness  due  to  a  case  of  heart  complaint  or 
brain  fever,  while  at  a  wink  from  me  JBarakat  pre- 
pares in  the  kitchen  a  draught  of  cinnamon  water, 
which,  with  sugar,  named  medicine  for  the  occasion, 
pleases  the  young  heirs  of  royalty  and  keeps  up  the 
farce;  'Abd-el-Mahsin  expatiating  all  the  time  to  the 
bystanders  on  the  wonderful  skill  with  which  I  have 
at  once  discovered  the  ailments  and  their  cure,  and 
the  small  boys  thinking  that  if  this  be  medicine  they 
will  do  their  best  to  be  ill  for  it  every  day. 

"  'Abd-el-Mahsin  now  commits  them  to  the  negro, 
who,  however,  before  taking  them  back  to  the  pal- 
ace, has  his  own  story  to  tell  of  some  personal  ache, 
for  which  I  prescribe  without  stipulating  for  pay- 
ment, since  he  belongs  to  the  palace,  where  it  is 
important  to  have  the  greatest  number  of  friends 
possible,  even  on  the  back  stairs.  But  'Abd-el-Mah- 
sin remains,  reading,  chatting,  quoting  poetry,  and 
talking  history,  recent  events,  natural  philosophy,  or 
medicine,  as  the  case  may  be. 

"  Let  us  now  see  some  of  the  other  patients.     The 


LIFE  IN  HA'YEL  163 

gold-hilted  swordsman  lias  naturally  a  special  claim 
on  our  attention.  He  is  the  son  of  Rosheyd,  Telal's 
maternal  uncle.  His  palace  stands  on  the  other  side 
of  the  way,  exactly  opposite  to  our  house  ;  and  1  will 
say  nothing  more  of  him  for  the  present,  intending 
to  pay  him  afterward  a  special  visit,  and  thus  be- 
come more  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  whole 
family. 

"  Next  let  us  take  notice  of  those  two  townsmen 
who  are  conversing,  or  rather  'chaffing,'  together. 
Though  both  in  plain  apparel,  and  much  alike  in 
stature  and  features,  there  is  yet  much  about  them  to 
distinguish  the  two  ;  one  has  a  civilian  look,  the 
other  a  military.  He  of  the  wand  is  no  less  a  per- 
sonage than  Hohammed-el-Kadee,  chief  justice  of 
Ila'yel,  and  of  course  a  very  important  individual  in 
the  town.  However,  his  exterior  is  that  of  an  el- 
derly, unpretentious,  little  man,  and  one,  in  spite  of 
the  proverb  which  attributes  gravity  to  judges,  very 
fond  of  a  joke,  besides  being  a  tolerable  representa- 
tive of  what  may  here  be  called  the  moderate  party, 
neither  participating  in  the  fanaticism  of  the  "Waha- 
bee,  nor  yet,  like  the  most  of  the  indigenous  chiefs, 
hostile  to  Mahometanism  ;  he  takes  his  cue  from  the 
court  direction  and  is  popular  with  all  factions  be- 
cause belonging  properly  to  none. 

"He  requires  some  medical  treatment  for  himself, 
and  more  for  his  son,  a  big,  heavy  lad  with  a  swollen 
arm,  who  has  accompanied  him  hither.  Here,  too,  is 
a  useful  acquaintance,  well  up  to  all  the  scandal  and 
small  talk  of  the  town,  and  willing  to  communicate 
it.  Our  visits  were  frequent,  and  I  found  his  house 


164  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

well  stored  with  books,  partly  manuscript,  partly 
printed  in  Egypt,  and  mainly  on  legal  or  religious 
subjects. 

"  Of  the  country  folks  in  the  villages  around,  like 
Mogah,  Delhemee'eh,  and  the  rest,  Mohammed-el- 
Kadee  used  to  speak  with  a  sort  of  half-contempt- 
uous pity,  much  like  a  Parisian  talking  of  Low  Bre- 
tons ;  in  fact,  the  difference  between  these  rough  and 
sturdy  boors  and  the  more  refined  inhabitants  of  the 
capital  is,  all  due  proportion  allowed,  no  less  re- 
markable here  than  in  Europe  itself.  We  will  now 
let  one  of  them  come  forward  in  his  own  behalf,  and 
my  readers  shall  be  judges. 

"  It  is  accordingly  a  stout  clown  from  Mogah 
scantily  dressed  in  working  wear,  and  who  has  been 
occupied  for  the  last  half  hour  in  tracing  sundry  dia- 
grams on  the  ground  before  him  with  a  thick  peach- 
tree  switch,  thus  to  pass  his  time  till  his  betters  shall 
have  been  served.  He  now  edges  forward,  and  tak- 
ing his  seat  in  front  of  the  door,  calls  my  attention 
with  an  '  I  say,  doctor.'  Whereon  I  suggest  to  him 
that  his  bulky  corporation  not  being  formed  of  glass 
or  any  other  transparent  material,  he  lias  by  his 
position  entirely  intercepted  whatever  little  light  my 
recess  might  enjoy.  He  apologizes,  and  shuffles  an 
inch  or  two  sideways.  I^ext  I  inquire  what  ails  him, 
not  without  some  curiosity  to  hear  the  answer,  so  lit- 
tle does  the  herculean  frame  before  me  announce 
disease.  Whereto  Do'eymis,  or  whatever  may  be  liis 
name,  replies,  'I  say,  I  am  all  made  up  of  pain.' 
This  statement,  like  many  others,  appears  to  me 
rather  too  general  to  be  exactly  true.  So  I  proceed 


LIFE  IN  HA' TEL  165 

in  my  interrogatory  :  '  Does  your  head  pain  you  ? ' 
'  No.'  (I  might  have  guessed  that ;  these  fellows 
never  feel  what  our  cross-Channel  friends  entitle  '  le 
mal  des  beaux  esprits?}  '  Does  your  back  ache  ? ' 
'  No.'  '  Your  arms  ? '  '  No.'  '  Your  legs  ? '  '  No.' 
'  Your  body  ?'  '  No.'  '  But,'  I  conclude,  '  if  neither 
your  head  nor  your  body,  back,  arms,  or  legs  pain 
you,  how  can  you  possibly  be  such  a  composition  of 
suffering  ? '  'I  am  all  made  up  of  pain,  doctor,'  re- 
plies he,  manfully  intrenching  himself  within  his 
first  position.  The  fact  is,  that  there  is  really  some- 
thing wrong  with  him,  but  he  does  not  know  how 
to  localize  his  sensations.  So  I  push  forward  my  in- 
quiries, till  it  appears  that  our  man  of  Mogah  has  a 
chronic  rheumatism  ;  and  on  ulterior  investigation, 
conducted  with  all  the  skill  that  Barakat  and  I  can 
jointly  muster,  it  comes  out  that  three  or  four  months 
before  he  had  an  attack  of  the  disease  in  its  acute 
form,  accompanied  by  high  fever,  since  which  he  has 
never  been  himself  again. 

"  This  might  suffice  for  the  diagnosis,  but  I  wish 
to  see  how  he  will  find  his  way  out  of  more  intricate 
questions ;  besides,  the  townsmen  sitting  by,  and 
equally  alive  to  the  joke  with  myself,  whisper,  '  Try 
him  again.'  In  consequence,  I  proceed  with,  'What 
was  the  cause  of  your  first  illness?'  'I  say,  doctor, 
its  cause  was  God,'  replies  the  patient.  '  No  doubt 
of  that,'  say  I ;  'all  things  are  caused  by  God  :  but 
what  was  the  particular  and  immediate  occasion  ? ' 
'  Doctor,  its  cause  was  God,  and  secondly,  that  I  ate 
camel's  flesh  when  I  was  cold,'  rejoins  my  scientific 
friend.  '  But  was  there  nothing  else  ? '  I  suggest, 


166  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

not  quite  satisfied  with  the  lucid  explanation  just 
given.  '  Then,  too,  I  drank  camel's  milk  ;  but  it  was 
all,  I  say,  from  God,  doctor,'  answers  he. 

"Well,  I  consider  the  case,  and  make  up  my  mind 
regarding  the  treatment.  Xext  comes  the  grand 
question  of  payment,  which  must  be  agreed  on  be- 
forehand, and  rendered  conditional  on  success  ;  else 
no  fees  for  the  doctor,  not  at  Ha'yel  only,  but 
throughout  Arabia.  I  inquire  what  he  will  give  me 
on  recovery.  '  Doctor,'  answers  the  peasant,  '  I  will 
give  you,  do  you  hear?  I  say,  I  will  give  you  a 
camel.'  But  I  reply  that  I  do  not  want  one.  '  I  say, 
remember  God,'  which  being  interpreted  here  means, 
'do  not  be  unreasonable;  I  will  give  you  a  fat 
camel,  everyone  knows  my  camel ;  if  you  choose,  I 
will  bring  witnesses,  I  say.'  And  while  I  persist  in 
refusing  the  proffered  camel,  he  talks  of  butter,  meal, 
dates,  and  such  like  equivalents. 

"There  is  a  patient  and  a  paymaster  for  you. 
However,  all  ends  by  his  behaving  reasonably 
enough  ;  he  follows  my  prescriptions  with  the  or- 
dinary docility,  gets  better,  and  gives  me  for  my 
pains  an  eighteen-penny  fee." 

During  this  residence  in  Ha'yel,  Palgrave  made 
many  friends,  and  soon  established  those  relations 
of  familiar  intercourse  which  are  so  ranch  easier  in 
Moslem  than  in  Christian  lands — a  natural  result  of 
the  preservation  of  the  old  importance,  which  in  the 
earliest  Hebrew  days  was  attached  to  "  the  stranger." 
Palgrave's  intimacies  embraced  many  families  related 
to  Telal,  and  others,  whose  knowledge  of  Arabian 
history  or  literature  made  their  acquaintance  wel- 


LIFE  IN  HA' TEL  167 

come.  His  own  knowledge  of  these  subjects,  for- 
tunately, was  equal  to  theirs,  and,  from  the  number 
of  his  invitations  to  dinners  and  suppers,  he  seems 
to  have  been  a  welcome  guest  to  the  better  classes 
of  Ha'yel.  One  of  the  aristocracy,  by  name  Do- 
hey,  was  his  most  agreeable  acquaintance;  and  we 
quote  the  following  pleasant  account  of  his  inter- 
course : 

"Dohey's  invitations  were  particularly  welcome, 
both  from  the  pleasantness  of  his  dwelling  place,  and 
from  the  varied  and  interesting  conversation  that  I 
was  sure  to  meet  with  there.  This  merchant,  a  tall 
and  stately  man  of  between  fifty  and  sixty  years  of 
age,  and  whose  thin  features  were  lighted  up  by  a 
lustre  of  more  than  ordinary  intelligence,  was  a 
thorough  lla'y elite  of  the  old  caste,  hating  Waha- 
bees  from  the  bottom  of  his  heart,  eager  for  informa- 
tion on  cause  and  effect,  on  lands  and  governments, 
and  holding  commerce  and  social  life  for  the  main 

o 

props  if  not  the  ends  of  civil  and  national  organiza- 
tion. .  His  uncle,  now  near  eighty  years  old,  to  judge 
by  conjecture  in  a  land  where  registers  are  not  much 
in  use,  had  journeyed  to  India,  and  traded  at  Bom- 
bay ;  in  token  whereof  he  still  wore  an  Indian  skull- 
cap and  a  cashmere  shawl.  The  rest  of  the  family 
were  in  keeping  with  the  elder  members,  and  seldom 
have  I  seen  more  dutiful  children  or  a  better  edu- 
cated household.  My  readers  will  naturally  under- 
stand that  by  education  I  here  imply  its  moral  not  its 
intellectual  phase.  The  eldest  son,  himself  a  middle- 
aged  man,  would  never  venture  into  his  father's  pres- 
ence without  unbuckling  his  sword  and  leaving  it  in 


168  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

the  vestibule,  nor  on  any  account  presume  to  sit  on 
a  level  with  him  or  by  his  side  in  the  divan. 

"  The  divan  itself  was  one  of  the  prettiest  I  met 
with  in  these  parts.  It  was  a  large  square  room, 
looking  out  on  the  large  house-garden,  and  cheer- 
fully lighted  up  by  trellised  windows  on  two  sides, 
while  the  wall  of  the  third  had  purposely  been  dis- 
continued at  about  half  its  height,  and  the  open 
space  thus  left  between  it  and  the  roof  propped  by 
pillars,  between  which  '  a  fruitful  vine  by  the  sides 
of  the  house '  was  intertwined  so  as  to  fill  up  the  in- 
terval with  a  gay  net-work  of  green  leaves  and  ten- 
drils, transparent  like  stained  glass  in  the  eastern 
sunbeams.  Facing  this  cheerful  light,  the  floor  of 
the  apartment  was  raised  about  two  feet  above  the 
rest,  and  covered  with  gay  Persian  carpets,  silk  cush- 
ions, and  the  best  of  Arab  furniture.  In  the  lower 
half  of  the  k'hawah,  and  at  its  farthest  angle,  was 
the  small  stone  coffee-stove,  placed  at  a  distance 
where  its  heat  might  not  annov  the  master  and  his 

o  *» 

guests.  Many  of  the  city  nobility  would  here  re- 
sort, and  the  talk  generally  turned  on  serious  sub- 
jects, and  above  all  on  the  parties  and  politics  of 
Arabia ;  while  Dohey  would  show  himself  a  thor- 
ough Arab  patriot,  and  at  the  same  time  a  courteous 
and  indulgent  judge  of  foreigners,  qualities  seldom 
to  be  met  with  together  in  any  notable  degree,  and 
therefore  more  welcome. 

"  Many  a  pleasant  hour  have  I  passed  in  this  half 
greenhouse,  half  k'hawah,  mid  cheerful  faces  and 
varied  talk,  while  inly  commenting  on  the  natural 
resources  of  this  manly  and  vigorous  people,  and 


LIFE  IN  HA' TEL  169 

straining  the  eye  of  forethought  to  discern  through 
the  misty  curtain  of  the  future  by  what  outlet  their 
now  unfruitful,  because  solitary,  good  may  be  brought 
into  fertilizing  contact  with  that  of  other  more  ad- 
vanced nations,  to  the  mutual  benefit  of  each  and 
all. 

"  Talk  went  on  with  the  ease  and  decorum  charac- 
teristic of  good  Eastern  society,  without  the  flip- 
pancy and  excitement  which  occasionally  mars  it  in 
some  countries,  no  less  than  over-silence  does  in 
others.  To  my  mind  the  Easterns  are  generally 
superior  in  the  science  of  conversation  to  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  "West ;  perhaps  from  a  greater  neces- 
sity of  cultivating  it,  as  the  only  means  of  general 
news  and  intercourse  where  newspapers  and  pamph- 
lets are  unknown. 

"  Or  else  some  garden  was  the  scene  of  our  after- 
noon leisure,  among  fruit-trees  and  palms,  by  the 
side  of  a  watercourse,  whose  constant  supply  from 
the  well  hid  from  view  among  thick  foliage,  seemed 
the  work  not  of  laborious  art,  but  of  unassisted  nat- 
ure. Here,  stretched  in  the  cool  and  welcome 
shade,  would  we  for  hours  canvass  with  'Abd-el- 
Mahsin,  and  others  of  similar  pursuits,  the  respect- 
ive merits  of  Arab  poets  and  authors,  of  Omar-ebn- 
el-Farid  or  Aboo'l  'Ola,  in  meetings  that  had  some- 
thing of  the  Attic,  yet  with  just  enough  of  the  Arab 
to  render  them  more  acceptable  by  their  Semitic 
character  of  grave  cheerfulness  and  mirthful  com- 
posure. 

"  Or  when  the  stars  came  out,  Barakat  and  my- 
self would  stroll  out  of  the  heated  air  of  the  streets 

12 


170  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

and  market  to  the  cool  open  plain,  and  there  pass  an 
hour  or  two  alone,  or  in  conversation  with  what 
chance  passer-by  might  steal  on  us,  half-unperceived 
and  unperceiving  in  the  dusk,  and  amuse  ourselves 
with  his  simplicity  if  he  were  a  Bedouin,  or  with  his 
shrewdness  if  a  townsman. 

"  Thus  passed  our  ordinary  life  at  Ha'yel.  Many 
minor  incidents  occurred  to  diversify  it,  many  of  the 
little  ups  and  downs  that  human  intercourse  never 
fails  to  furnish  ;  sometimes  the  number  of  patients 
and  the  urgency  of  their  attendance  allowed  of  little 
leisure  for  aught  except  our  professional  duties; 
sometimes  a  day  or  two  would  pass  with  hardly 
any  serious  occupation.  But  of  such  incidents  my 
readers  have  a  sufficient  sample  in  what  has  been 
already  set  down.  Suffice  to  say,  that  from  the  27th 
of  July  to  the  8th  of  September  we  remained  doc- 
toring in  the  capital  or  in  its  immediate  neighbor- 
hood." 

By  this  time  Palgrave  had  obtained  sufficient 
knowledge  of  the  country,  and  was  anxious  to  ad- 
vance farther  eastward  before  the  autumn — the  best 
season  for  travel — should  be  spent.  Kow,  the  jour- 
ney across  the  Shomer  frontier  could  only  be  pur- 
sued with  Telal's  cognizance,  and  by  his  good  will. 
In  fact,  a  passport  bearing  the  royal  signature  is  in- 
dispensable for  all  who  desire  to  cross  the  boundary, 
especially  into  the  Wahabee  territory  ;  without  such 
a  document  in  hand  no  one  would  venture  to  conduct 
them. 

"  Accordingly,"  he  says,  "  we  requested  and  ob- 
tained a  special  audience  at  the  palace.  Telal,  of 


LIFE  IN  IIA^BL  171 

whose  good-will  we  had  received  frequent,  indeed 
daily,  proofs  during  our  sojourn  at  Ha'yel,  proved  a 
sincere  friend — -patron  would  be  a  juster  word — to 
the  last ;  exemplifying  the  Scotch  proverb  about  the 
guest  not  only  who  '  will  stay,'  but  also  who  '  maun 
gang.'  To  this  end  he  then  dictated  to  Zarnil,  for 
Telal  himself  is  no  scribe,  a  passport  or  general 
letter  of  safe  conduct,  enough  to  insure  ns  good 
treatment  within  the  limits  of  his  rule,  and  even  be- 
yond. 

"  When  this  was  written,  Telal  affixed  his  seal, 
and  rose  to  leave  us  alone  with  Zamil,  after  a  part- 
ing shake  of  the  hand,  and  wishing  us  a  prosperous 
journey  and  speedy  return.  Yet  with  all  these  mo- 
tives for  going,  I  could  not  but  feel  reluctant  to  quit 
a  pleasing  town,  where  we  certainly  possessed  many 
sincere  friends  and  well-wishers,  for  countries  in 
which  we  could  by  no  means  anticipate  equal  favor, 
or  even  eqnal  safety.  Indeed,  so  ominous  was  all  that 
we  heard  about  Wahabee  Xedjed,  so  black  did  the 
landscape  before  us  look,  on  nearer  approach,  that 
I  almost  repented  of  rny  resolution,  and  was  consid- 
erably inclined  to  say,  '  Thus  far  enough,  and  no  far- 
ther.' 

"'Obeyd,  Telal's  uncle,  had  left  Ha'yel  the  day 
before  on  a  military  expedition  against  the  Bedouins 
of  the  West.  In  common  with  all  the  sight-seers  of 
the  town,  we  had  gone  to  witness  his  departure.  It 
was  a  gay  and  interesting  scene.  'Obeyd  had  caused 
his  tent  to  be  pitched  in  the  plain  without  the  north- 
ern walls,  and  there  reviewed  his  forces.  About 
one-third  were  on  horseback,  the  rest  were  mounted 


172  TRAVELS  IN  AKABIA 

on  light  and  speedy  camels;  all  had  spears  and 
matchlocks,  to  which  the  gentry  added  swords ;  arid 
while  they  rode  hither  and  thither  in  sham  manoeu- 
vres over  the  parade  ground,  the  whole  appearance 
was  very  picturesque  and  tolerably  martial.  'Obeyd 
now  unfurled  his  own  peculiar  standard,  in  which 
the  green  color,  distinctive  of  Islam,  had  been  added 
border-wise  to  the  white  ground  of  the  ancestral 
Nedjean  banner,  mentioned  fourteen  centuries  back 
by  'Omar-ebn-Kelthoom,  the  poet  of  Taghleb,  and 
many  others.  Barakat  and  myself  mixed  with  the 
crowd  of  spectators.  'Obeyd  saw  us,  and  it  was  now 
several  days  since  we  had  last  met.  Without  hesitat- 
ing he  cantered  up  to  us,  and  while  he  tendered  his 
hand  for  a  farewell  shake,  he  said :  '  I  have  heard 
that  you  intend  going  to  Ri'ad  ;  there  you  will  meet 
with  'Abdallah,  the  eldest  son  of  Feysul  ;  he  is  my 
particular  friend  ;  I  should  much  desire  to  see  you 
high  in  his  good  graces,  and  to  that  end  I  have  writ- 
ten him  a  letter  in  your  behalf,  of  which  you  your- 
selves are  to  be  the  bearers  ;  you  will  find  it  in  my 
house,  where  I  have  left  it  for  you  with  one  of  my 
servants.'  He  then  assured  us  that  if  he  found  us 
still  at  Ha'yel  on  his  return,  he  would  continue  to  be- 
friend us  in  every  way  ;  but  that  if  we  journeyed 
forward  to  Nedjed,  we  should  meet  with  a  sincere 
friend  in  'Abdallah,  especially  if  we  gave  him  the 
letter  in  question. 

"  He  then  took  his  leave  with  a  semblance  of  affec- 
tionate cordiality  that  made  the  bystanders  stare  ; 
thus  supporting  to  the  last  the  profound  dissimula- 
tion which  he  had  only  once  belied  for  a  moment. 


LIFE  IN  II A' Y EL  173 

The  letter  was  duly  handed  over  to  ns  the  same 
afternoon  by  his  head  steward,  whom  he  had  left  to 
look  after  the  house  and  garden  in  his  absence. 
Doubtless  my  readers  will  be  curious  to  know  what 
sort  of  recommendation  'Obeyd  had  provided  us  with. 
It  was  written  on  a  small  scrap  of  thick  paper,  about 
four  inches  each  way,  carefully  folded  up  and  secured 
by  three  seals.  However,  'our  fears  forgetting  man- 
ners,' we  thought  best  with  Hamlet  to  make  perusal 
of  this  grand  commission  before  delivering  it  to  its 
destination.  So  we  undid  the  seals  with  precautions 
admitting  of  reclosing  them  in  proper  form,  and  read 
the  royal  knavery.  I  give  it  word  for  word  ;  it  ran 
thus :  '  In  the  name  of  God  the  Merciful,  the  Com- 
passionate, we,  'Obeyd-ebn-Rasheed,  salute  you,  O 
'Abdallah,  son  of  Feysul-ebn-Sa'ood,  and  peace  be  on 
yon,  and  the  mercy  of  God  and  His  blessings.'  (This 
is  the  invariable  commencement  of  all  Wahabee 
epistles,  to  the  entire  omission  of  the  complimentary 
formulas  used  by  other  Orientals.)  'After  which,' 
so  proceeded  the  document,  '  we  inform  yon  that  the 
bearers  of  this  are  one  Seleem-el-'Eys,  and  his  com- 
rade, Barakat-esh-Shamee,  who  give  themselves  out 
for  having  some  knowledge  in ' —  here  followed  a 
word  of  equivocal  import,  capable  of  interpretation 
alike  by  '  medicine  '  or  '  magic,'  but  generally  used  in 
Nedjed  for  the  latter,  which  is  at  Ri'ad  a  capital 
crime.  '  Js  ow  may  God  forbid  that  we  should  hear 
of  any  evil  having  befallen  you.  We  salute  also  your 
father,  Feysul,  and  your  brothers,  and  all  your  family, 
and  anxiously  await  your  news  in  answer.  Peace  be 
with  you.'  Here  followed  the  signet  impression. 


174  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

"  A  pretty  recommendation,  especially  under  the 
actual  circumstances !  However,  not  content  with 
this.  'Obeyd  found  means  to  transmit  further  infor- 
mation regarding  us,  and  all  in  the  same  tenor,  to 
Ri'ad,  as  we  afterward  discovered.  For  his  letter,  I 
need  hardly  say  that  it  never  passed  from  our  posses- 
sion, where  it  yet  remains  as  an  interesting  autograph, 
to  that  of  'Abdallah  ;  with  whom  it  would  inevitably 
have  proved  the  one  only  thing  wanting,  as  we  shall 
subsequently  see,  to  make  us  leave  the  forfeit  of  our 
lives  in  the  Xedjean  man-trap. 

"  Before  evening  three  men  knocked  at  our  door  ; 
they  were  our  future  guides.  The  eldest  bore  the 
name  of  Mubarek,  and  was  a  native  of  the  suburbs 
of  Bereydah  ;  all  three  were  of  the  genuine  Ivaseem 
breed,  darker  and  lower  in  stature  than  the  inhabi- 
tants of  Ha'yel,  but  not  ill-looking,  and  extremely 
affable  in  their  demeanor. 

"We  had  soon  made  all  necessary  arrangements 
for  our  departure,  got  in  a  few  scattered  debts, 
packed  up  our  pharmacopoeia,  and  nothing  now  re- 
mained but  the  pleasurable  pain  of  farewells.  They 
were  many  and  mutually  sincere.  Meta'ab  had  in- 
deed made  his  a  few  days  before,  when  he  a  second 
time  left  Ha'yel  for  the  pastures  ;  Telal  we  had  al- 
ready taken  leave  of,  but  there  remained  his  younger 
brother  Mohammed  to  give  us  a  hearty  adieu  of  good 
augury.  Most  of  my  old  acquaintance  or  patients, 
Dohey  the  merchant,  Mohammed  the  judge,  Doheym 
and  his  family,  not  forgetting  our  earliest  friend  Seyf 
the  chamberlain,  Sa'eed,  the  cavalry  officer,  and  others 
of  the  court,  freemen  and  slaves,  white  or  black  (for 


LIFE  AY  II A' TEL  175 

negroes  readily  follow  the  direction  indicated  by  their 
masters,  and  are  not  ungrateful  if  kindly  treated, 
while  kept  in  their  due  position),  and  many  others  of 
whose  names  Homer  would  have  made  a  catalogue 
and  I  will  not,  heard  of  our  near  departure  and  came 
to  express  their  regrets,  with  hopes  of  future  meeting 
and  return." 

"  Early  next  morning,  before  day,  Mubarek  and 
another  of  his  countrymen,  named  Dahesh,  were  at 
our  door  with  the  camels.  Some  of  our  town  friends 
had  also  come,  even  at  this  hour,  to  accompany  ns  as 
far  as  the  city  gates.  We  mounted  onr  beasts,  and 
while  the  first  sunbeams  streamed  level  over  the 
plain,  passed  through  the  southwestern  portal  beyond 
the  market-place,  the  8th  of  September,  1862,  and 
left  the  city  of  Ha'yel." 


CHAPTER  XII. 

PALGRAVE'S  TRAVELS— JOURNEY  TO  BEREYDAH 

A  KOTHER  stage  of  our  way.  From  Gaza  to 
f~\  Ma'an,  from  Ma'an  to  the  Djowf,  from  the 
Djowf  to  Ila'yel,  three  such  had  now  been  gone  over, 
not  indeed  without  some  fatigue  or  discomfort,  yet  at 
comparatively  little  personal  risk,  except  what  nature 
herself,  not  man,  might  occasion.  For  to  cross  the 
stony  desert  of  the  northern  frontier,  or  the  sandy 
Nefood  in  the  very  height  of  summer,  could  not  be 
said  to  be  entirely  free  from  danger,  where  in  these 
waterless  wastes  thirst,  if  nothing  else,  may  alone, 
and  often  does,  suffice  to  cause  the  disappearance  of 
the  over-venturous  traveller,  nay,  even  of  many  a 
Bedouin,  no  less  effectually  than  a  lance-thrust  or  a 
musket-ball.  But  if  nature  had  been  so  far  unkind, 
of  man  at  least  we  had  hitherto  not  much  to  com- 
plain ;  the  Bedouins  on  the  route,  however  rough 
and  uncouth  in  their  wa}"S,  had,  with  only  one  excep- 
tion, meant  us  fairly  well,  and  the  townsmen  in  gen- 
eral had  proved  friendly  and  courteous  beyond  our 
expectation.  Once  within  the  established  govern- 
ment limits  of  Telal,  and  among  his  subjects,  we  had 
enjoyed  our  share  in  the  common  security  afforded 
to  wayfarers  and  inhabitants  for  life  and  property, 
while  good  success  had  hitherto  accompanied  us. 


JOURNEY  TO  BERK  YD  AH  177 

'Judge  of  the  day  by  its  dawn,'  say  the  Arabs;  and 
although  this  proverb,  like  all  proverbs,  does  not 
always  hold  exactly  true,  whether  for  sunshine  or 
cloud,  yet  it  has  its  value  at  times.  And  thus,  what- 
ever unfavorable  predictions  or  dark  forebodings  our 
friends  might  hint  regarding  the  inner  Nedjed  and  its 
denizens,  we  trusted  that  so  favorable  a  past  augured 
somewhat  better  things  for  the  future. 

"  From  physical  and  material  difficulties  like  those 
before  met  with,  there  was  henceforward  much  less 
to  fear.  The  great  heats  of  summer  were  past,  the 
cooler  season  had  set  in  ;  besides,  our  path  now  lay 
through  the  elevated  table-land  of  Central  Arabia, 
whose  northern  rim  we  had  already  surmounted  at 
our  entrance  on  the  Djebel  Shomer.  Nor  did  there 
remain  any  uncultivated  or  sandy  track  to  cross  com- 
parable to  the  Nefood  of  Djowf  between  Ha'yel  and 
Ri'ad ;  on  the  contrary,  we  were  to  expect  pasture 
lands  and  culture,  villages  and  habitations,  cool 
mountain  air,  and  a  sufficiency,  if  not  an  abundance, 
of  water.  Nor  were  our  fellow -companions  now 
mere  Bedouins  and  savages,  but  men  from  town  or 
village  life,  members  of  organized  society,  and  so  far 
i-ivilized  beings. 

"  When  adieus,  lookings  back,  wavings  of  the 
hand,  and  all  the  customary  signs  of  farewell  and 
good  omen  were  over  between  our  Ha'yel  friends  and 
ourselves,  we  pursued  our  road  by  the  plain  which  I 
have  already  described  as  having  been  the  frequent 
scene  of  our  morning  walks;  but  instead  of  following 
the  southwesterly  path  toward  Kefar,  whose  groves 
and  roof-tops  now  rose  in  a  blended  mass  before  us, 


178  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

we  turned  eastward,  and  rounded,  though  at  some 
distance,  the  outer  wall  of  Ha'yel  for  nearly  half  an 
hour,  till  we  struck  off  by  a  southeasterly  track  across 
stony  ground,  diversified  here  and  there  by  wells, 
each  with  a  cluster  of  gardens  and  a  few  houses  in  its 
neighborhood.  At  last  we  reached  a  narrow  winding 
pass  among  the  cliffs  of  Djebel  'Aja',  whose  mid-loop 
encircles  Ha'yel  on  all  sides,  and  here  turned  our 
heads  to  take  a  last  far-off  view  of  what  had  been 
our  home,  or  the  agreeable  semblance  of  a  home,  for 
several  weeks. 

"  Our  only  companions  as  yet  were  Mubarek  and 
Dahesh.  We  had  outstripped  the  rest,  whose  bag- 
gage and  equipments  had  required  a  more  tedious 
arrangement  than  our  own.  Before  long  they  came 
up — a  motley  crew.  Ten  or  thereabouts  of  the 
Kaseern,  some  from  Bereydah  itself,  others  from 
neighboring  towns  ;  two  individuals,  who  gave  them- 
selves out,  but  with  more  asseveration  than  truth,  to 
be  natives  of  Mecca  itself ;  three  Bedouins,  two  of 
whom  belonged  to  the  Shomer  clan,  the  third  an 
'Anezah  of  the  north  ;  next  a  runaway  negro,  con- 
ducting four  horses,  destined  to  pass  the  whole 
breadth  of  Arabia,  'and  to  be  shipped  off  at  Ko \veyt, 
on  the  Persian  Gulf,  for  Indian  sale  ;  two  merchants, 
one  from  Zulphah,  in  the  province  of  Sedeyr,  the 
other  from  Zobeyr,  near  Bussora  ;  lastly,  two  women, 
wives  of  I  know  not  exactly  whom  in  the  caravan, 
with  some  small  children  ;  all  this  making  up,  our- 
selves included,  a  band  of  twenty-seven  or  twenty- 
eight  persons,  the  most  mounted  on  camels,  a  few  on 
horseback,  and  accompanied  by  a  few  beasts  of  bur- 


JOURNEY  TO  BEREYDAH  179 

den  alongside — such  was  our  Canterbury  pilgrims' 
group. 

"  Thus  assembled,  on  we  went  together,  now  amid 
granite  rocks,  now  crossing  grassy  valleys,  till  near 
sunset  we  stopped  under  a  high  cliff,  at  the  extreme 
southerly  verge  of  Djebel  'Aja',  or,  in  modern  par- 
lance, of  Djebel  Shomer.  The  mountain  here  ex- 
tended far  away  to  right  and  left,  but  in  front  a  wide 
plain  of  full  twenty  miles  across  opened  out  before 
us,  till  bounded  southward  by  the  long  bluish  chain 
of  Djebel  Sol  ma,  whose  line  runs  parallel  to  the 
heights  we  were  now  to  leave,  and  belongs  to  the 
same  formation  and  rocky  mass  denominated  in  a 
comprehensive  way  the  mountains  of  Ta'i  or  Shomer. 

"  At  about  three  in  the  afternoon,  next  day,  we 
saw,  some  way  off  to  our  west,  a  troop  of  Bedouins 
coming  up  from  the  direction  of  Medina.  While 
they  were  yet  in  the  distance,  and  half-hidden  from 
view  by  the  shrubs  and  stunted  acacias  of  the  plain, 
we  could  not  precisely  distinguish  their  numbers ; 
but  they  were  evidently  enough  to  make  us  desire, 
with  Orlando,  '  that  we  might  be  better  strangers.' 
On  our  side  we  mustered  about  fifteen  matchlocks, 
besides  a  few  spears  and  swords.  The  Bedouins  had 
already  perceived  ns,  and  continued  to  approach, 
though  in  the  desultory  and  circuitous  way  which 
they  affect  when  doubtful  of  the  strength  of  their 
opponent ;  still  they  gained  on  us  more  than  was 
pleasant. 

"  Fourteen  armed  townsmen  might  stand  for  a 
reasonable  match  against  double  the  number  of  Be- 
douins, and  in  any  case  we  had  certainly  nothing  bet- 


180  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

ter  to  do  than  to  pnt  a  bold  face  on  the  matter.  The 
'Eyoon  chief,  Foleyh,  with  two  of  his  countrymen  and 
Ghashee,  carefully  primed  their  guns,  and  then  set 
off  at  full  gallop  to  meet  the  advancing  enemy,  bran- 
dishing their  weapons  over  their  heads,  and  looking 
extremely  fierce.  Under  cover  of  this  manoeuvre  the 
rest  of  our  band  set  about  getting  their  arms  ready, 
and  an  amusing  scene  ensued.  One  had  lost  his 
match,  and  was  hunting  for  it  in  his  housings  ;  an- 
other, in  his  haste  to  ram  the  bullet  home  had  it  stick 
midway  in  the  barrel,  and  could  neither  get  it  up  nor 
down  ;  the  lock  of  a  third  was  rusty  and  would  not 
do  duty  ;  the  women  began  to  whine  piteously  ;  the 
two  Meccans,  who  for  economy's  sake  were  both  rid- 
ing one  only  camel,  a  circumstance  which  caused  be- 
tween them  many  international  squabbles,  tried  to 
make  their  beast  gallop  off  with  them,  and  leave  the 
others  to  their  fate  ;  while  the  more  courageous  ani- 
mal, despising  such  cowardly  measures,  insisted  on 
remaining  with  his  companions  and  sharing  their 
lot ;  all  was  thoroughly  Arab,  much  hubbub  and  lit- 
tle done.  Had  the  menacing  feint  of  the  four  who 
protected  our  rear  proved  insufficient,  we  might  all 
have  been  in  a  very  bad  predicament,  and  this  feel- 
ing drew  every  face  with  reverted  gaze  in  a  backward 
direction.  But  the  Harb  banditti,  intimidated  by 
the  bold  countenance  of  Foleyh  and  his  companions, 
wheeled  about  and  commenced  a  skirmishing  retreat, 
in  which  a  few  shots,  guiltless  of  bloodshed,  were  fired 
for  form's  sake  on  either  side,  till  at  last  our  assail- 
ants fairly  disappeared  in  the  remote  valley. 

"  Our  valiant  champions  now  returned  from  pur- 


JOURNEY  TO  BEREYDAH  181 

suit,  much  elated  with  their  success,  and  we  jour- 
neyed on  together,  skirting  the  last  rocky  spur  of 
Sohna,  close  by  the  spot  where  Hatim  Ta'i,  the  well- 
known  model,  half  mythic  and  half  historical,  of  Arab 
hospitality  and  exaggerated  generosity,  is  said  to  be 
buried.  Here  we  crossed  some  low  hills  that  form  a 
sort  of  offshoot  to  the  Solma  mountain,  and  limit  the 
valley ;  and  the  last  rays  of  the  setting  sun  gilding  to 
our  view,  in  a  sandy  bottom  some  way  off,  the  palm- 
trees  of  Feyd. 

"  Feyd  may  be  taken  as  a  tolerable  sample  of  the 
villages  met  with  throughout  Northern  or  Upper 
Kaseem,  for  they  all  bear  a  close  likeness  in  their 
main  features,  though  various  in  size.  Imagine  a  lit- 
tle sandy  hillock  of  about  sixty  or  seventy  feet  high, 
in  the  midst  of  a  wide  and  dusty  valley ;  part  of  the 
eminence  itself  and  the  adjoining  bottom  is  covered 
by  low  earth-built  houses,  intermixed  with  groups  of 
the  feathery  ithel.  The  grounds  in  the  neighborhood 
are  divided  by  brick  walls  into  green  gardens,  where 
gourds  and  melons,  leguminous  plants  and  maize, 
grow  alongside  of  an  artificial  irrigation  from  the  wells 
among  them  ;  palms  in  plenty — they  were  now  heavy 
laden  with  red-brown  fruits  ;  arid  a  few  peach  or  apri- 
cot trees  complete  the  general  lineaments.  The  outer 
walls  are  low,  and  serve  more  for  the  protection  of  the 
gardens  than  of  the  dwellings ;  here  are  neither 
towers  nor  trenches,  nor  even,  at  least  in  many  places, 
any  central  castle  or  distinguishable  residence  for  the 
chief ;  his  habitation  is  of  the  same  one-storied  con- 
struction as  those  of  his  neighbors,  only  a  little  larger. 
Some  of  the  townlets  are  quite  recent,  and  date  from 


182  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

the  Shomer  annexation,  which  gave  this  part  of  the 
province  a  degree  of  quiet  and  prosperity  unknown 
under  their  former  Wahabee  rulers. 

"Next  morning,  the  10th  of  September,  we  were 
all  up  by  moonlight,  two  or  three  hours  before  dawn, 
and  off  on  our  road  to  the  southeast.  The  whole  coun- 
try that  we  had  to  traverse  for  the  next  four  days 
was  of  so  uniform  a  character  that  a  few  words  of 
description  may  here  serve  for  the  landscape  of  this 
entire  stage  of  our  journey. 

"  Upper  Kaseem  is  an  elevated  plateau  or  steppe, 
and  forms  part  of  a  long  upland  belt,  crossing  diago- 
nally the  northern  half  of  the  peninsula  ;  one  extrem- 
ity reaches  the  neighborhood  of  Zobeyr  and  the  Eu- 
phrates, while  the  other  extends  downward  to  the 
vicinity  of  Medina.  Its  surface  is  in  general  covered 
with  grass  in  the  spring  and  summer  seasons,  and 
with  shrubs  and  brushwood  at  all  times,  and  thus  af- 
fords excellent  pasture  for  sheep  and  camels.  Across 
it  blows  the  fresh  eastern  gale,  so  celebrated  in  Arab 
poetry  under  the  name  of  'Seba  Xedjin,'  or  'Zephyr 
of  Kedjed  '  (only  it  comes  from  precisely  the  opposite 
corner  to  the  Greek  or  Roman  Zephyr),  and  continu- 
ally invoked  by  sentimental  bards  to  bring  them  news 
of  imaginary  loves  or  pleasing  reminiscences.  Xo 
wonder;  for  most  of  these  versifiers  being  themselves 
natives  of  the  barren  Hedjajs  or  the  scorching  Te- 
hama,  perhaps  inhabitants  of  Egypt  and  Syria,  and 
knowing  little  of  Arabia,  except  what  they  have  seen 
on  the  dreary  Meccan  pilgrim  road,  they  naturally 
look  back  to  with  longing,  and  frequently  record, 
whatever  glimpses  chance  may  have  allowed  them  of 


JOURNEY  TO  BEREYDAH  183 

the  cooler  and  more  fertile  highlands  of  the  centre, 
denominated  by  them  Nedjed,  in  a  general  way,  with 
their  transient  experience  of  its  fresh  and  invigorat- 
ing climate,  of  ita  courteous  men  and  sprightly  maid- 
ens. 

"  But  when,  nor  is  this  seldom,  the  sweet  smell  of 
the  aromatic  thyme-like  plants  that  here  abound 
mixes  with  the  light  morning  breeze  and  enhances  its 
balmy  influence,  then  indeed  can  one  excuse  the 
raptures  of  an  Arab  Ovid  or  Theocritus,  and  appre- 
ciate— at  least  I  often  did — their  yearnings  after 
Nedjed,  and  all  the  praises  they  lavish  on  its  memory. 

"  Then  said  I   to  my  companion,    while  the   camels  were 

hastening 

To  bear  us  down  the  pass  between  Meneefah  and  Demar, 
'  Enjoy  while  thou  canst  the  sweets  of  the  meadows  of  Ned- 
Jed  : 
With  no  such  meadows  and  sweets  shalt  thou  meet  after 

this  evening. 

Ah  !  heaven's  blessing  on  the  scented  gales  of  Nedjed, 
And  its  greensward  and  groves  glittering  from  the  spring 

shower, 

And  thy  dear  friends,  when  thy  lot  was  cast  awhile  in  Ned- 
jed, 
Little  hadst  thou  to  complain  of  what  the  days  brought 

thee  ; 
Months  flew  past,  they  passed  and  we  perceived  not, 

Nor  when  their  moons  were  new,  nor  when  they  waned.'  " 

For  three  days  more  they  travelled  forward  over 
this  undulating  table-land,  making  from  sixty  to 
seventy  miles  a  day.  The  view  was  extensive,  but 
rather  monotonous.  There  were  no  high  mountains, 
no  rivers,  no  lakes,  no  deep  valleys  ;  but  a  constant 


184  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

repetition  of  stony  uplands,  shallow  and  sandy 
hollows,  and  villages  surrounded  by  belts  of  palm- 
groves,  the  extent  and  direction  of  which  indicated 
the  subterranean  water-courses, 

On  the  third  evening  they  reached  Ivowarah,  the 
most  southern  station  in  Telal  territory — a  large 
village,  lying  in  a  wooded  and  well-watered  hollow. 
Here  they  still  found  the  order  and  security  which 
that  ruler  had  established,  and  maintained  every- 
where throughout  his  dominions.  Leaving  the  next 
morning,  the  14th  of  September,  they  crossed  a  few 
low  hills,  came  to  a  sudden  dip  in  the  general  level 
of:  the  country,  and  then  the  extent  of  Southern 
Ivaseem  burst  suddenly  upon  their  view. 

"  Now,  for  the  first  time,"  says  Palgrave,  "  we 
could  in  some  measure  appreciate  the  strength  of  the 
Wahabee  in  his  mastery  over  such  a  land.  Before 
us  to  the  utmost  horizon  stretched  an  immense  plain, 
studded  with  towns  and  villages,  towers  and  groves, 
all  steeped  in  the  dazzling  noon,  and  announcing 
everywhere  life,  opulence,  and  activity.  The  aver- 
age breadth  of  this  populous  district  is  about  sixty 
miles,  its  length  twice  as  much,  or  more;  it  lies  full 
two  hundred  feet  below  the  level  of  the  uplands, 
which  here  break  off  like  a  wall.  Fifty  or  more 
good-sized  villages  and  four  or  five  large  towns  form 
the  commercial  and  agricultural  centres  of  the  prov- 
ince, and  its  surface  is  moreover  thickly  strewn  with 
smaller  hamlets,  isolated  wells,  and  gardens,  and 
traversed  by  a  net-work  of  tracks  in  every  direction. 
Here  begin,  and  hence  extend  to  Djebel  Toweyk 
itself,  the  series  of  high  watch-towers  that  afford  the 


JOURtftiY  TO  BfiREYDAB  185 

inhabitants  a  means,  denied  otherwise  by  their  level 
flats,  of  discerning  from  afar  the  approach  of  foray 
or  invasion,  and  tlma  preparing  for  resistance.  For 
while  no  part  of  Central  Arabia  has  an  older  or  a 
better  established  title  to  civilization  or  wealth,  no 
part  also  has  been  the  starting-point  and  theatre  of 
so  many  wars,  or  witnessed  the  gathering  of  such 
numerous  armies. 

"We  halted  for  a  moment  on  the  verge  of  the  up- 
lands to  enjoy  the  magnificent  prospect  before  us. 
Below  lay  the  wide  plain  ;  at  a  few  miles'  distance  we 
saw  the  thick  palm-grovea  of  'Eyooh,  and  what  little 
of  its  towers  and  citadel  the  dense  foliage  permitted 
to  the  eye.  Far  off  on  our  right,  that  is,  to  the  west, 
a  large  dark  patch  marked  the  tillage  and  plantations 
which  girdle  the  town  of  Rass ;  other  villages  and 
hamlets,  too,  were  thickly  scattered  over  the  landscape. 
All  along  the  ridge  where  we  stood,  and  visible  at 
various  distances  down  the  level,  rose  the  tall,  circular 
watch-towers  of  Kaseem.  But  immediately  before 
us  stood  a  more  remarkable  monument,  one  that 
fixed  the  attention  and  wonder  even  of  our  Arab  com- 
panions themselves. 

"  For  hardly  had  we  descended  the  narrow  path 
where  it  winds  from  ledge  to  ledge  down  to  the  bot- 
tom, when  we  saw  before  us  several  huge  stones,  like 
enormous  bowlders,  placed  endways  perpendicularly 
,on  the  soil,  while  some  of  them  yet  upheld  similar 
masses  laid  transversely  over  their  summit.  Thev 
were  arranged  in  a  curve,  once  forming  part,  it  would 
appear,  of  a  large  circle,  and  many  other  like  frag- 
ments lay  rolled  on  the  ground  at  a  moderate  dis- 
13 


186  TRA  VBLS  IN  ARABIA 

tance  ;  the  number  of  those  still  upright  was,  to  speak 
by  memory,  eight  or  nine.  Two,  at  about  ten  or 
twelve  feet  apart  one  from  the  other,  and  resembling 
huge  gate-posts,  yet  bore  their  horizontal  lintel,  a 
long  block  laid  across  them  ;  a  few  were  deprived  of 
their  upper  traverse,  the  rest  supported  each  its  head- 
piece in  defiance  of  time  and  of  the  more  destructive 
efforts  of  man.  So  nicely  balanced  did  one  of  these 
cross-bars  appear  that,  in  hope  it  might  prove  a  rock- 
ing-stone,  I  guided  my  camel  right  under  it,  and  then 
stretching  up  my  riding-stick  at  arm's-length  could 
just  manage  to  touch  and  push  it,  but  it  did  not  stir. 
Meanwhile  the  respective  heights  of  camel,  rider,  and 
stick  taken  together  would  place  the  stone  in  ques- 
tion full  fifteen  feet  from  the  ground. 

"  These  blocks  seem,  by  their  quality,  to  have 
been  hewn  from  the  neighboring  limestone  cliff,  and 
roughly  shaped,  but  present  no  further  trace  of  art, 
no  groove  or  cavity  of  sacrificial  import,  much  less 
anything  intended  for  figure  or  ornament.  The  peo- 
ple of  the  country  attribute  their  erection  to  Darim, 
and  by  his  own  hands,  too,  seeing  that  he  was  a  giant ; 
perhaps,  also,  for  some  magical  ceremony,  since  lie 
was  a  magician.  Pointing  toward  Rass,  our  compan- 
ions affirmed  that  a  second  and  similar  stone  circle, 
also  of  gigantic  dimensions,  existed  there  ;  and,  lastly, 
they  mentioned  a  third  toward  the  southwest,  that  is, 
on  the  confines  of  Hedjaz. 

"Here,  as  in  most  parts  of  Arabia,  the  staple  ar- 
ticle of  cultivation  is  the  date-palm.  Of  this  tree 
there  are,  however,  many  widely  differing  species, 
and  Kaseem  can  boast  of  containing  the  best  known 


JOVRNEY  TO  BEREYDAH  187 

anywhere,  the  Khalas  of  Hasa  alone  excepted.  The 
ripening  season  coincides  with  the  latter  half  of 
August  and  the  first  of  September,  and  we  had  thus 
an  ample  opportunity  for  testing  the  produce.  Those 
who,  like  most  Europeans  at  home,  only  know  the 
date  from  the  dried  specimens  of  that  fruit,  shown  be- 
neath a  label  in  shop- windows,  can  hardly  imagine 
how  delicious  it  is  when  eaten  fresh  and  in  Central 
Arabia.  Nor  is  it,  when  newly  gathered,  heating,  a 
defect  inherent  to  the  preserved  fruit  everywhere  ; 
nor  does  its  richness,  however  great,  bring  satiety  :  in 
short,  it  is  an  article  of  food  alike  pleasant  and 
healthy.  Its  cheapness  in  its  native  land  might  as- 
tonish a  Londoner.  Enough  of  the  very  best  dates 
from  the  Bereydah  gardens  to  fill  a  large  Arab  hand- 
kerchief, about  fifteen  inches  each  way,  almost  to 
bursting,  cost  Barakat  and  rm'self  the  moderate  sum 
of  three  farthings.  We  hung  it  np  from  the  roof- 
beam  of  our  apartment  to  preserve  the  luscious  fruit 
from  the  ants,  and  it  continued  to  drip  molten  sweet- 
ness into  a  sugary  pool  on  the  floor  below  for  three 
days  together,  before  we  had  demolished  the  con- 
tents, though  it  figured  at  every  dinner  and  supper 
during  that  period. 

"  We  were  soon  under  the  outer  walls  of  'Eyoon, 
a  srood-sized  town  containing  at  least  ten  thousand 

o  o 

inhabitants  according  to  my  rough  computation.  Its 
central  site,  at  the  very  juncture  of  thegreat  northern 
and  western  lines  of  communication,  renders  it  im- 
portant, and  for  this  reason  it  is  carefully  fortified, 
that  is,  for  the  country,  and  furnished  with  watch- 
towers  much  resembling  manufactory  chimneys  in 


188  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

size  and  shape,  beside  a  massive  and  capacious  cita- 
del. Mj  readers  may  anticipate  analogous,  though 
proportionate,  features  in  most  other  towns  and  vil- 
lages of  this  province. 

"Between  the  town-walls  and  the  sand-hills  close 
by  was  a  sheltered  spot,  where  we  took  about  four 
hours  of  sleep,  till  the  waning  moon  rose.  Then  all 
were  once  more  in  movement,  camels  gnarling,  men 
loading,  and  the  doctor  and  his  apprentice  mounting 
their  beasts,  all  for  Bereydah.  But  that  town  was 
distant,  and  when  day  broke  at  last  there  was  yet  a 
long  road  to  traverse,  This  now  lay  amid  mounds 
and  valleys,  thick  with  the  vegetation  already  de- 
scribed ;  and  somewhat  after  sunrise  we  took  a  full 
hour  to  pass  the  gardens  and  fields  of  Ghat,  a  strag- 
gling village,  where  a  dozen  wells  supplied  the  valley 
with  copious  irrigation.  On  the  adjoining  hillocks — 
I  may  not  call  them  heights— was  con  tinned  the  series 
of  watch-towers,  corresponding  with  others  farther  off 
that  belonged  to  villages  seen  by  glimpses  in  the  land- 
scape ;  I  heard,  but  soon  forgot,  their  names. 

"A  march  of  ten  or  twelve  hours  had  tired  us, 
and  the  weather  was  oppressively  close,  no  uncom- 
mon phenomenon  in  Kaseem,  where,  what  between 
low  sandy  ground  and  a  southerly  latitude,  the  cli- 
mate is  much  more  sultry  than  in  Djebel  Shomer,  or 
the  mountains  of  Toweyk.  So  that  we  were  very 
glad  when  the  ascent  of  a  slight  eminence  discovered 
to  our  gaze  the  long-desired  town  of  Bereydah, 
whose  oval  fortifications  rose  to  view  amid  an  open 
and  cultivated  plain.  It  was  a  view  for  Turner. 
An  enormous  watch-tower,  near  a  hundred  feet  in 


JOURNEY   TO  DKIlKYDAn  189 

height,  a  minaret  of  scarce  inferior  proportions,  a  mass 
of  bastioned  walls,  such  as  we  had  not  yet  witnessed 
in  Arabia,  green  groves  around  and  thickets  of  ithel, 
all  under  the  dreamy  glare  of  noon,  offered  a  striking 
spectacle,  far  surpassing  whatever  I  had  anticipated, 
and  announced  populousness  and  wealth.  We  longed 
to  enter  those  gates  and  walk  those  streets.  But 
we  had  yet  a  delay  to  wear  out.  At  about  a  league 
from  the  town  our  guide,  Mubarek,  led  us  off  the  main 
road  to  the  right,  up  and  down  several  little  but 
steep  sand-hills,  and  hot  declivities,  till  about  two  in 
the  afternoon,  half-roasted  with  the  sun,  we  reached, 
never  so  weary,  his  garden  gate. 

"  The  morning  was  bright,  yet  cool,  when  we  got 
free  of  the  maze  of  ithel  and  sand-slopes,  and  en- 
tered the  lanes  that  traverse  the  garden  circle  round 
the  town,  in  all  quiet  and  security.  But  our  ap- 
proach to  Bereydah  was  destined  to  furnish  us  an 
unexpected  and  undesired  surprise,  though  indeed 
less  startling  than  that  which  discomposed  our  first 
arrival  at  Ha'yel.  We  had  just  passed  a  well  near 
the  angle  of  a  garden  wall,  when  we  saw  a  man 
whose  garb  and  appearance  at  once  bespoke  him  for 
a  muleteer  of  the  north,  watering  a  couple  of  mules 
at  the  pool  hard  by.  Barakat  and  I  stared  with  as- 
tonishment, and  could  hardly  believe  our  eyes.  For 
since  the  day  we  left  Gaza  for  the  southeastern  desert 
we  had  never  met  with  a  like  dress,  nor  with  these 
animals  ;  and  how,  then,  came  they  here  ?  But  there 
was  no  mistaking  either  the  man  or  the  beasts,  and 
as  the  muleteer  raised  his  head  to  look  at  the  passers- 
by,  he  also  started  at  our  sight,  and  evidently  rec- 


190  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

oguized  in  us  something  that  took  him  unawares. 
But  the  riddle  was  soon  solved.  A  few  paces  far- 
ther on,  our  way  opened  out  on  the  great  plain  that 
lies  immediately  under  the  town  walls  to  the  north. 
This  space  was  now  covered  with  tents  and  thronged 
with  men  of  foreign  dress  and  bearing,  mixed  with 
Arabs  of  town  and  desert,  women  and  children,  talk- 
ing and  quarrelling,  buying  and  selling,  going  and 
coming ;  everywhere  baskets  full  of  dates  and  vege- 
tables, platters  bearing  eggs  and  butter,  milk  and 
whey,  meat  hung  on  poles,  bundles  of  firewood,  etc., 
stood  ranged  in  rows,  horsemen  and  camel.-men  were 
riding  about  between  groups  seated  round  fires  or 
reclining  against  their  baggage  ;  in  the  midst  of  all 
this  medley  a  gilt  ball  surmounted  a  large  white 
pavilion  of  a  make  that  I  had  not  seen  since  last  I 
left  India,  some  eleven  years  before,  and  numerous 
smaller  tents  of  striped  cloth,  and  certainly  not  of 
Arab  fashion,  clustered  around  ;  a  lively  scene,  es- 
pecially of  a  clear  morning,  but  requiring  some  ex- 
planation from  its  exotic  and  non-Arab  character. 
These  tents  belonged  to  the  great  caravan  of  Persian 
pilgrims,  on  their  return  from  Medina  to  Meshid 
'Alee  by  the  road  of  Kaseem,  and  hence  all  this  un- 
usual concourse  and  bustle. 

"  Passing  a  little  on  to  the  east,  we  left  the 
crowded  encampment  on  one  side  and  turned  to  en- 
ter the  city  gates.  Here,  and  this  is  generally  the 
case  in  the  larger  Arab  towns  of  old  date,  the  for- 
tifications surround  houses  alone,  and  the  gardens 
all  lie  without,  sometimes  defended — at  'Oneyzah, 
for  example — by  a  second  outer  girdle  of  walls  and 


AN   ARAB   ENCAMPMENT. 


JOUHXKY    TO   r.ERKYHMl  191 

towers,  bnt  soiTietiines,  as  at  Bereydah,  devoid  of 
any  mural  protection.  The  town  itself  is  composed 
exclusively  of  streets,  houses,  and  market-places,  and 
bears  in  consequence  a  more  regular  appearance 
than  the  recent  and  village -like  arrangements  of 
the  Djowf  and  even  of  Ha'yel.  We  passed  a  fe\v 
streets,  tolerably  large  but  crooked,  and  then  made 
the  camels  kneel  down  in  a  little  square  or  public 
place,  where  I  remained  seated  by  them  on  the  bag- 
gage, switch  in  hand,  like  an  ordinary  Arab  travel- 
ler, and  Barakat  with  Mubarek  went  in  search  of 
lodgings. 

"  Very  long  did  the  half-hour  seem  to  me  during 
which  I  had  thus  to  mount  guard  till  my  companions 
returned  from  their  quest ;  the  streets  were  full  of 
people,  and  a  disagreeable  crowd  of  the  lower  sort 
was  every  moment  collecting  round  myself  and  rny 
camels,  with  all  the  inquisitiveness  of  the  idle  and 
vulgar  in  every  land.  At  last  my  companions  came 
back  to  say  that  they  had  found  what  they  wanted  ; 
a  kick  or  two  brought  the  camels  on  their  legs  again, 
and  we  moved  off  to  our  new  quarters. 

"The  house  in  question  was  hardly  more  than  five' 
minutes'  walk  from  the  north  gate,  and  at  about  an 
equal  distance  only  from  the  great  market-place  on 
the  other  side.  Its  position  was  therefore  good.  It 
possessed  two  large  rooms  on  the  ground  story,  and 
three  smaller,  besides  a  spacious  court-yard,  sur- 
rounded by  high  walls.  A  winding  stair  of  irregular 
steps  and  badly  lighted,  like  all  in  the  Nedjed,  led 
up  to  an  extent  of  flat  roof,  girt  round  by  a  parapet 
six  feet  high,  and  divided  into  two  compartments  by 


192  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

a  cross-wall,  thus  affording  a  very  tolerable  place  for 
occupation  morning  and  evening,  at  the  hours  when 
the  side- walls  might  yet  project  enough  shade  to 
shelter  those  seated  alongside  of  them,  besides  an  ex- 
cellent sleeping  place  for  night." 

The  day  after  their  arrival  they  made  a  call  upon 
Mohanna,  the  ruler  of  Bereydah,  in  order  to  ask  his 
assistance  in  proceeding  to  Kedjed.  But  he  was  too 
busy  in  devising  means  to  exact  more  tribute-money 
from  the  Persian  pilgrims  to  give  any  notice  to  two 
persons  whose  dress  and  appearance  gave  no  token 
of  wealth.  This  neglect  afterward  proved  to  be  a 
piece  of  good  fortune.  They  then  spent  several  days 
in  a  vain  attempt  to  find  camels  and  guides ;  no  one 
was  willing  to  undertake  the  service.  The  central 
province  of  Kedjed,  the  genuine  Wahabee  country,  is 
to  the  rest  of  Arabia  a  sort  of  lion's  den,  into  which 
few  venture  and  yet  fewer  return.  An  elderly  man 
of  Bereydah,  of  whom  Palgrave  demanded  informa- 
tion, simply  replied,  "  It  is  Nedjed  ;  he  who  enters 
it  does  not  come  out  again,"  and  this  is  almost  liter- 
ally true.  Its  mountains,  once  the  fastnesses  of  rob- 
bers and  assassins,  are  at  the  present  day  equally,  or 
even  more,  formidable  as  the  stronghold  of  fanatics 
who  consider  everyone  save  themselves  an  infidel  or 
a  heretic,  and  who  regard  the  slaughter  of  an  infidel 
or  a  heretic  as  a  duty,  at  least  a  merit.  In  addition 
to  this  general  cause  of  anticipating  a  worse  than 
cold  reception  in  Nedjed,  wars  and  bloodshed,  ag- 
gression and  tyranny,  have  heightened  the  original 
antipathy  of  the  surrounding  population  into  special 
and  definite  resentment  for  wrongs  received,  perhaps 


JOURNEY  TO  BEREYDAH  193 

inflicted,  till  .Nedjed  has  become  for  all  but  her  born 
sons  doubly  dangerous  and  doubly  hateful. 

Another  circumstance,  which  seemed  to  make 
Palgrave's  situation  more  difficult,  although  it  was 
equally  fortunate  in  the  end,  was  a  rebellion  which 
had  broken  out  in  the  neighboring  city  of  'Oneyzah, 
headed  by  Zamil,  a  native  chief.  The  town  was  at 
that  time  besieged  by  the  Wahabees,  yet  held  out 
gallantly,  and  the  sympathy  of  the  people  of  all 
Kaseem  was  so  strongly  on  the  side  of  Zamil,  that 
only  the  presence  of  the  Wahabee  troops  in  Berey- 
dah  kept  that  city,  also,  from  revolt.  The  rebels  had 
sent  deputations  to  Mecca  and  also  to  Djebel  Shomer 
for  assistance,  and  there  seemed  to  be  some  possibil- 
ity of  a  general  Central  Arabian  revolt  against  the 
hated  Wahabee  supremacy.  It  seemed  thus  to  be  a 
most  unpropitious  time  for  penetrating  the  strong- 
hold of  JSTedjed.  Palgrave  did  not  so  much  fear  the 
suspicion  of  being  a  European,  as  that  of  being  an 
Ottoman  spy.  His  first  need,  however,  was  the 
means  of  going  forward  safely.  He  thus  described 
how  an  apparent  chance  made  him  acquainted  with 
the  man  to  whom  almost  the  entire  success  of  his 
later  travels  was  due  : 

"It  was  the  sixth  day  after  our  arrival,  and  the 
22d  of  September,  when  about  noon  I  was  sitting 
alone  and  rather  melancholy,  and  trying  to  beguile 
the  time  with  reading  the  incomparable  Divan  of 
Ebn-el-Farid,  the  favorite  companion  of  my  travels. 
Barakat  had  at  my  request  betaken  himself  out  of 
doors,  less  in  hopes  of  success  than  to  '  go  to  and  fro 
in  the  earth  and  walk  up  and  down  in  it ; '  nor  did 


104  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

J  now  dare  to  expect  that  he  would  return  any  wiser 
than  he  had  set  forth.  When  lo !  after  a  long  two 
hours'  absence  he  came  in  with  cheerful  face,  index 
of  good  tidings. 

"  Good,  indeed,  they  were,  none  better.  Their 
hearer  said,  that  aftey  roaming  awhile  to  no  purport 
through  the  streets  and  market-place,  he  had  be- 
thought him  of  a  visit  to  the  Persian  camp.  There, 
while  straying  among  the  tents,  '  like  a  washerwom- 
an's dog,'  as  a  Hindoo  would  say,  he  noticed  somewhat 
aloof  from  the  crowd  a  small  group  of  pilgrims 
seated  near  their  baggage  on  the  sand,  while  curls  of 
smoke  going  up  from  amid  the  circle  indicated  the 
presence  of  a  fire,  which  at  that  time  of  day  could 
be  for  nothing  else  than  coffee.  Civilized  though 
Barakat  undoubtedly  was,  he  was  yet  by  blood  and 
heart  an  Arab,  and  for  an  Arab  to  see  coffee- making 
and  not  to  put  himself  in  the  way  of  getting  a  share 
would  be  an  act  of  self-restraint  totally  unheard  of. 
So  he  approached  the  group,  and  was  of  course  in- 
vited to  sit  down  and  drink.  The  party  consisted  of 
two  wealthy  Persians,  accompanied  by  three  or  four 
of  that  class  of  men,  half  servants,  half-companions, 
who  often  hook  on  to  travellers  at  Bagdad  or  its 
neighborhood,  besides  a  mulatto  of  Arabo-negrine 
origin,  and  his  master,  this  last  being  the  leader  of 
the  band,  and  the  giver  of  the  aromatic  entertain- 
ment. 

"  Barakat's  whole  attention  was  at  once  engrossed 
by  this  personage.  A  remarkably  handsome  face,  of 
a  type  evidently  not  belonging  to  the  Arab  peninsula, 
long  hair  curling  down  to  the  shoulders,  an  over-dress 


JOURNEY  TO  BEREYDAH  195 

of  fine  spun  silk,  somewhat  soiled  by  travel,  a  colored 
handkerchief  of  Syrian  manufacture  on  the  head,  a 
manner  and  look  indicating  an  education  much  supe- 
rior to  that  ordinary  in  his  class  and  occupation,  a 
camel-driver's,  were  peculiarities  sufficient  of  them, 
selves  to  attract  notice,  and  give  rise  to  conjecture. 
But  when  these  went  along  with  a  welcome  and  a 
salute  in  the  forms  and  tone  of  Damascus  or  Aleppo, 
and  a  ready  flow  of  that  superabundant  and  over- 
charged politeness  for  which  the  Syrian  subjects  of 
the  Turkish  empire  are  renowned,  Barakat  could  no 
longer  doubt  that  he  had  a  fellow-countryman,  and 
one,  too,  of  some  note,  before  him. 

"  Such  was  in  fact  the  case.  Aboo-'Eysa,  to  give 
him  the  name  by  which  he  was  commonly  known  in 
these  parts,  though  in  his  own  country  he  bears  an- 
other denomination,  was  a  native  of  Aleppo,  and  son 
of  a  not  unimportant  individual  in  that  fair  city. 
His  education,  and  the  circumstances  of  his  early 
youth,  had  rendered  him  equally  conversant  with 
townsmen  and  herdsmen,  with  citizens  and  Bedouins, 
with  Arabs  and  Europeans.  By  lineal  descent  he  was 
a  Bedouin,  since  his  grandfather  belonged  to  the  Me- 
jadimah,  who  are  themselves  an  offshoot  of  the  Benoo- 
Khalid  ;  but  in  habits,  thoughts,  and  manners  he  was 
a  very  son  of  Aleppo,  where  he  had  passed  the  greater 
part  of  his  boyhood  and  youth.  When  about  twenty- 
five  years  of  age  he  became  involved,  culpably  or 
not,  in  the  great  conspiracy  against  the  Turkish  gov- 
ernment which  broke  out  in  the  Aleppine  insurrec- 
tion of  1852.  Like  many  others  he  was  compelled  to 
anticipate  consequences  by  a  prompt  flight. 


196  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

"  After  trying  commerce  in  order  to  retrieve  his 
ruined  fortunes,  but  with  ill  success,  Aboo-'Eysa  en- 
gaged in  the  horse  trade  between  Persia  and  Arabia, 
and  also  failed.  He  then  went  to  Ri'ad,  the  capital 
of  Nedjed,  and  by  presents  to  Feysul,  the  chief,  ob- 
tained a  post  as  guide  to  the  Persian  caravans  of  pil- 
grims to  Mecca,  across  Arabia.  At  this  time  he  had 
followed  that  career  for  three  years,  and  had  amassed 
considerable  wealth,  for  his  politeness,  easy  manners, 
and  strict  probity  made  him  popular  with  the  pil- 
grims. 

"  He  recognized  a  fellow-countryman  in  Barakat," 
says  Palgrave,  "  received  him  with  marked  politeness, 
and  carefully  informed  himself  of  our  whence  and 
whither.  Barakat,  overjoyed  to  find  at  last  a  kind 
of  opening  after  difficulties  that  had  appeared  to  ob- 
struct all  further  progress,  made  no  delay  in  inquir- 
ing whether  he  would  undertake  our  guidance  to 
Ri'ad.  Aboo-'Eysa  replied  that  he  was  just  on  the 
point  of  separating  from  his  friends  the  Persians, 
whose  departure  would  leave  camels  enough  and  to 
spare  at  his  disposition,  and  that  so  far  there  was  no 
hindrance  to  the  proposal.  As  for  the  Wahabees 
and  their  unwillingness  to  admit  strangers  within 
their  limits,  he  stated  himself  to  be  well  known  to 
them,  and  that  in  his  company  we  should  have  noth- 
ing to  fear  from  their  suspicious  criticism." 

The  agreement  was  made  at  once,  and  the  travel- 
lers now  only  waited  until  their  new  companion 
should  have  made  some  final  arrangements  with  the 
Persian  pilgrims,  who  were  to  travel  directly  from 
Bereydah  to  Bagdad.  In  the  meantime,  the  former 


JOURNEY  TO  BERBTDAlt  197 

took  advantage  of  the  delay  to  see  as  much  as  pos- 
sible of  the  place,  and  even  to  make  excursions  in  the 
neighborhood,  especially  in  the  direction  of  the  be- 
leaguered city  of  'Oneyzah.  Palgrave's  description  of 
the  place  shows  that  it  possesses  the  same  general 
features  as  the  other  Arabian  towns,  yet  may  be 
quoted  for  its  intrinsic  picturesqueuess : 

"  Barakat  and  myself  have  made  our  morning 
household  purchases  at  the  fair,  and  the  sun  being 
now  an  hour  or  more  above  the  horizon,  we  think  it 
time  to  visit  the  market-place  of  the  town,  which 
would  hardly  be  open  sooner.  "We  re-enter  the  city 
gate,  and  pass  on  our  way  by  our  house  door,  where 
we  leave  our  bundle  of  eatables,  and  regain  the  high 
street  of  Bereydah.  Before  long  we  reach  a  high 
arch  across  the  road ;  this  gate  divides  the  market 
from  the  rest  of  the  quarter.  We  enter.  First  of  all 
we  see  a  long  range  of  butchers'  shops  on  either  side, 
thick  hung  with  flesh  of  sheep  and  camel,  and  very 
dirtily  kept.  Were  not  the  air  pure  and  the  climate 
healthy,  the  plague  would  assuredly  be  endemic 
here ;  but  in  Arabia  no  special  harm  seems  to  fol- 
low. We  hasten  on,  and  next  pass  a  series  of  cloth 
and  linen  warehouses,  stocked  partly  with  homo 
manufacture,  but  more  imported  ;  Bagdad  cloaks 
and  head-gear,  for  instance,  Syrian  shawls  and  Egyp- 
tian slippers.  Here  markets  follow  the  law  general 
throughout  the  East,  that  all  shops  or  stores  of  the 
same  description  should  be  clustered  together,  a  sys- 
tem whose  advantages  on  the  whole  outweigh  its  in- 
conveniences, at  least  for  small  towns  like  these.  In 
the  large  cities  and  capitals  of  Europe  greater  exterot 


198  TRAVELS  IN  ARAM  A 

of  locality  requires  evidently  a  different  method  of 
arrangement ;  it  might  be  awkward  for  the  inhabi- 
tants of  Hyde  Park  were  no  hatters  to  be  found 
nearer  than  the  Tower.  But  what  is  Bereydah  com- 
pared even  with  a  second-rate  European  city  ?  How- 
ever, in  a  crowd,  it  yields  to  none  ;  the  streets  at 
this  time  of  the  day  are  thronged  to  choking,  and 
to  make  matters  worse,  a  huge,  splay-footed  camel 
comes  every  now  and  then,  heaving  from  side  to  side 
like  a  lubber-rowed  boat,  with  a  long  beam  on  his 
back  menacing  the  heads  of  those  in  the  wa\r,  or 
with  two  enormous  loads  of  firewood,  each  as  large 
as  himself,  sweeping  the  road  before  him  of  men, 
women,  and  children,  while  the  driver,  high-perched 
on  the  hump,  regards  such  trifles  with  the  most  su- 
preme indifference,  so  long  as  he  brushes  his  path 
open.  Sometimes  there  is  a  whole  string  of  these 
beasts,  the  head-rope  of  each  tied  to  the  crupper  of 
his  precursor,  very  uncomfortable  passengers  when 
met  with  at  a  narrow  turning. 

"  Through  such  obstacles  we  'have  found  or  made 
our  way,  and  are  now  amid  leather  and  shoemakers' 
shops,  then  among  coppersmiths  and  ironsmiths,  whoso 
united  clang  might  waken  the  dead  or  kill  the  living, 
till  at  last  we  emerge  on  the  central  town-square,  not 
a  bad  one  either,  nor  very  irregular,  considering  that 
it  is  in  Ivaseenu 

The  vegetable  and  fruit  market  is  very  extensive, 
and  kept  almost  exclusively  by  women  ;  so  are  also 
the  shops  for  grocery  and  spices.  Nor  do  the  fair 
sex  of  Bereydah  seem  a  whit  inferior  to  their  rougher 
partners  in  knowledge  of  business  and  thrifty  dili- 


JOURNEY  TO  BEnEYDAH  199 

gence.  '  Close  -  handedness  beseems  a  woman  no 
less  than  generosity  a  man,'  says  an  Arab  poet,  un- 
consciously coinciding  with  Lance  of  Verona  in  his 
comments  on  the  catalogue  of  his  future  spouse's 
'  conditions.' 

"  The  whole  town  has  an  aspect  of  old  but  de- 
clining prosperity.  There  are  few  new  houses,  but 
many  falling  into  ruin.  The  faces,  too,  of  most  we 
meet  are  serious,  and  their  voices  in  an  undertone. 
Silk  dresses  are  prohibited  by  the  dominant  faction, 
and  tobacco  can  only  be  smoked  within  doors,  and 
by  stealth.  Every  now  and  then  zealous  Wahabee 
missionaries  from  Ri'ad  pay  a  visit  of  reform  and 
preaching  to  unwilling  auditors,  and  disobedience  to 
the  customs  of  the  Nedjean  sect  is  noticed  and  pun- 
ished, often  severely. 

"  Enough  of  the  town  ;  the  streets  are  narrow,  hot, 
and  dusty  ;  the  day,  too,  advances ;  but  the  gardens 
are  yet  cool.  So  we  dash  at  a  venture  through  a 
labyrinth  of  by-ways  and  cross-ways  till  we  find  our- 
selves in  the  wide  street  that,  like  a  boulevard  in 
France,  runs  immediately  along  but  inside  the  walls. 

"We  stroll  about  in  the  shade,  hide  ourselves 
amid  the  high  maize  to  smoke  a  quiet  pipe  unob- 
served by  prying  Nedjean  eyes,  and  then  walk  on 
till  at  some  distance  we  come  under  a  high  ridge  of 
sand. 

"  While  on  one  of  our  suburban  excursions  we 
took  the  direction  of  'Oneyzah,  but  found  it  utterly 
impossible  to  arrive  within  its  walls ;  so  we  con- 
tented ourselves  with  an  outside  and  distant  view  of 
this  large  and  populous  town  ;  the  number  of  its 


200  TRAVELS  Ilf  ARABIA 

houses,  and  their  size,  judging  by  the  overtopping 
summits  that  marked  out  the  dwelling  of  Zamil  and 
his  family,  far  surpassed  anything  in  Bereydah. 
The  outer  fortifications  are  enormously  thick,  and 
the  girdle  of  palm-trees  between  them  and  the  town 
affords  a  considerable  additional  defence  to  the  latter. 
For  all  I  could  see  there  is  little  stonework  in  the 
construction  ;  they  appear  almost  exclusively  of  un- 
baked bricks  ;  yet  even  so  they  are  formidable  de- 
fences for  Arabia.  The  whole  country  around,  and 
whatever  lay  northeast  toward  Bereydah,  was  more 
or  less  ravaged  by  the  Avar;  and  we  were  blamed  by 
our  friends  as  very  rash  in  having  ventured  thus  far ; 
in  fact,  it  was  a  mere  chance  that  we  did  not  fall  in 
with  skirmishers  or  plunderers  ;  and  in  such  a  case 
the  military  discipline  of  Kaseem  would  hardly  have 
insured  our  safety. 

"  When  all  was  ready  for  the  long-expected  de- 
parture, it  was  definitely  fixed  for  the  3d  of  October, 
a  Friday,  I  think,  at  nightfall.  Since  our  first  inter- 
view Barakat  and  myself  had  not  again  presented 
ourselves  before  Mohanna,  except  in  chance  meet- 
ings, accompanied  by  distant  salutations  in  the  street 
or  market-place  ;  and  we  did  not  see  any  need  for 
paying  him  a  special  farewell  call.  Indeed,  after 
learning  who  and  what  he  was,  we  did  our  best  ndt 
to  draw  his  gray  eye  on  us,  and  thereby  escaped  some 
additional  trouble  and  surplus  duties  to  pay,  nor  did 
any  one  mention  us  to  him.  At  star-rise  we  bade 
our  host  and  householder  Ahmed  a  final  adieu,  and 
left  the  town  with  Aboo-'Eysa  for  our  guide." 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

PALGRAVE'S  TRAVELS— JOURNEY  TO  RI'AD  THE  CAPI- 
TAL OF  NEDJED 

TWO  roads  lay  before  us.     The  shorter,  and  for 
that  reason  the  more  frequented  of  the  two,  led 
southeast-bv-east   through  Woshera  and  Wadv  Ha- 

»/  dJ  •/ 

neefah  to  Ri'ad.  But  this  track  passed  through  a 
district  often  visited  at  the  present  moment  by  the 
troops  of  'Oneyzah  and  their  allies,  and  hence  our 
companions,  not  over-courageous  for  the  most,  were 
afraid  to  follow  it.  Another  road,  ranch  more  cir- 
cuitous, but  farther  removed  from  the  scene  of  mili- 
tary operations,  led  northeast  to  Zulphah,  and  thence 
entered  the  province  of  Sedeyr,  which  it  traversed 
in  a  southeasterly  or  southern  direction,  and  thus 
reached  the  'Aared.  Our  council  of  war  resolved  on 
the  latter  itinerary,  nor  did  we  ourselves  regret  a 
roundabout  which  promised  to  procure  us  the  sight 
of  much  that  we  might  scarcely  have  otherwise  an 
opportunity  of  visiting.  Barakat  and  I  were  mount- 
ed on  two  excellent  dromedaries  of  Aboo-'Eysa's 
stud  ;  the  Xa'ib  *  was  on  a  lovely  gray  she  camel  with 

*  "  The  Na'ib  "  was  a  Persian  official,  despatched  by  the  Per- 
sian pilgrims  to  lay  before  Feysul,  the  ruler  of  Nedjed,  a  state- 
ment of  the  extortions  to  which  they  had  been  compelled  to  sub- 
mit  at   Bereydah.      He   was   thus  equally   under   Aboo-'Eysa's 
14 


202  TRA  VELS  IN  ARABIA 

a  handsome  saddle,  crimson  and  gold.  Tiie  Meecans 
shared  between  them  a  long-backed  black  beast ;  the 
rest  were  also  mounted  on  camels  or  dromedaries, 
since  the  road  before  us  was  impracticable  for  horses, 
at  any  rate  at  this  time  of  year. 

"  Our  road  lay  in  Kaseem,  whose  highlands  we 
rejoined  once  more,  and  traversed  till  sunset.  The 
view  was  very  beautiful  from  its  extent  and  variety 
of  ups  and  downs,  in  broad,  grassy  hills ;  little  groups 
of  trees  stood  in  scattered  detachments  around ;  and 
had  a  river,  that  desideratum  of  Arabia,  been  in  sight, 
one  might  almost  have  fancied  one's  self  in  the  coun- 
try bordering  the  Lower  Rhine  for  some  part  of  its 
course  ;  readers  may  suppose,  too,  that  there  was 
less  verdure  here  than  in  the  European  parallel — my 
comparison  bears  only  on  the  general  turn  of  the 
view.  No  river  exists  nearer  Kaseem  than  Shatt 
(Euphrates),  some  hundred  leagues  off,  and  our  eyes 
had  been  too  long  accustomed  to  the  deceptive  pools 
of  the  mirage  to  associate  with  them  even  a  passing 
idea  of  aught  save  drought  and  heat. 

"  We  journeyed  on  till  dark,  and  then  reached  cer- 
tain hillocks  of  a  different  character  from  the  hard 
ground  lately  under  our  feet.  Here  began  the  ~Ke- 
food,  whose  course  from  the  southwest  to  northeast, 
and  then  north,  parts  between  Kaseem,  "Woshem,  and 
Sedeyr.  I  have  already  said  something  of  these 
sandy  inlets  when  describing  that  which  we  crossed 
three  months  ago  between  Djowf  and  Shomer. 

charge,  and  his  company  was  rather  an  advantage  to  Palgrave, 
since  his  mission  was  another  cause  of  removing — or,  at  least, 
lessening — the  prominence  of  the  latter,  after  his  arrival  at  Ri'ad. 


JOURNEY  TO  RI'AD  203 

"  On  the  verge  of  the  desert  strip  we  now  halted  a 
little  to  eat  a  hasty  supper,  and  to  drink— the  Arabs 
coffee  and  the  Persians  tea.  But  journeying  in 
these  sands,  under  the  heat  of  the  day,  is  alike  kill- 
ing to  man  and  beast,  and  therefore  Aboo-'Eysa  had 
resolved  that  we  should  cross  the  greater  portion 
under  favor  of  the  cooler  hours  of  night. 

"All  night,  a  weary  night,  we  waded  np  and  down 
through  waves  of  sand,  in  which  the  camels  often 
sank  up  to  their  knees,  and  their  riders  were  obliged 
to  alight  and  help  them  on. 

"  Now  by  full  daylight  appeared  the  true  charac- 
ter of  the  region  which  we  were  traversing ;  its  as- 
pect resembled  the  Nefood  north  of  Djebel  Shomer, 
but  the  undulations  were  here  higher  and  deeper, 
and  the  sand  itself  lighter  and  less  stable.  In  most 
spots  neither  shrub  nor  blade  of  grass  could  fix  its 
root,  in  others  a  scanty  vegetation  struggled  through, 
but  no  trace  of  man  anywhere.  The  camels  ploughed 
slowly  on ;  the  Persians,  unaccustomed  to  such 
scenes,  were  downcast  and  silent ;  all  were  tired,  and 
no  wonder.  At  last,  a  little  before  noon,  and  just 
as  the  sun's  heat  was  becoming  intolerable,  we 
reached  the  verge  of  an  immense  crater-like  hollow, 
certainly  three  or  four  miles  in  circumference,  where 
the  sand-billows  receded  on  every  side,  and  left  in  the 
midst  a  pit  seven  or  eight  hundred  feet  in  depth,  at 
whose  base  we  could  discern  a  white  gleam  of  lime- 
stone rock,  and  a  small  group  of  houses,  trees,  and 
gardens,  thus  capriciously  isolated  in  the  very  heart 
of  the  desert. 

"  This  was  the  little  village  and  oasis  of  Wasit,  or 


204  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

'  the  intermediary,'  so  called  because  a  central  point 
between  the  three  provinces  of  Kaseein,  Sedeyr,  and 
Woshem,  yet  belonging  to  none  of  them.  Nor  is  it 
often  visited  by  wayfarers,  as  we  learned  from  the 
inhabitants,  men  simple  and  half-savage,  from  their 
little  intercourse  with  the  outer  world,  and  unac- 
quainted even  with  the  common  forms  of  Islamitic 
prayer,  though  dwelling  in  the  midst  of  the  "Waha- 
bee  dominions. 

"  A  long,  winding  descent  brought  us  to  the  bot- 
tom of  the  valley,  where  on  our  arrival  men  and 
boys  came  out  to  stare  at  the  Persians,  and  by  ex- 
acting double  prices  for  fruit  and  camel's  milk 
proved  themselves  not  altogether  such  fools  as  they 
looked.  For  us,  regarded  as  Arabs,  we  enjoyed  their 
hospitality — it  was  necessarily  a  limited  one — gratis  ; 
whereupon  the  Na'ib  grew  jealous,  and  declaimed 
against  the  Arabs  as  'infidels,'  for  not  treating  with 
suitable  generosity  pilgrims  like  themselves  return- 
ing from  the  '  house  of  God.' 

"  To  get  out  of  this  pit  was  no  easy  matter  ;  facilis 
descensus,  etc.,  thought  I ;  no  ascending  path  showed 
itself  in  the  required  direction,  and  every  one  tried 
to  push  up  his  floundering  beast  where  the  sand  ap- 
peared at  a  manageable  slope,  an.d  firm  to  the  foot- 
ing. Camels  and  men  fell  and  rolled  back  down  the 
declivity,  till  some  of  the  party  shed  tears  of  vexa- 
tion, and  others,  more  successful,  laughed  at  the  an- 
noyance of  their  companions.  Aboo-'Eysa  ran  about 
from  one  to  the  other,  attempting  to  direct  and  keep 
them  together,  till  finally,  as  Heaven  willed,  we 
reached  the  upper  rim  to  the  north. 


JOURNEY  TO  HI 'AD  205 

"  Before  us  lay  what  seemed  a  storm-driven  sea  of 
fire  in  the  red  light  of  afternoon,  and  through  it  we 
wound  our  way,  till  about  an  hour  before  sunset  we 
fell  in  with  a  sort  of  track  or  furrow.  Next  opened 
out  on  our  road  a  long  descent,  at  whose  extreme 
base  we  discerned  the  important  and  commercial  town 
of  Zulphah.  Beyond  it  rose  the  wall-like  steeps  of 
Djebel  Toweyk,  so  often  heard  of,  and  now  seen 
close  at  hand.  Needless  to  say  how  joyfully  we  wel- 
comed the  first  view  of  that  strange  ridge,  the  heart 
and  central  knot  of  Arabia,  beyond  which  whatever 
lay  might  almost  be  reckoned  as  a  return  journey. 

"  We  had  now,  in  fact,  crossed  the  Xefood,  and 
had  at  our  feet  the  great  valley  which  constitutes  the 
main  line  of  communication  between  Nedjed  and  the 
north,  reaching  even  to  the  Tigris  and  Bagdad. 

"  We  passed  the  whole  length  of  the  town  of  Zul- 
phah, several  streets  of  which  had  been  lately  swept 
away  by  the  winter  torrents  that  pour  at  times  their 
short-lived  fury  down  this  valley.  Before  us  to  the 
southeast  stretched  the  long  hollow ;  on  our  right 
was  the  Nefood,  on  our  left  Djebel  Toweyk  and  the 
province  of  Sedeyr.  The  mountain  air  blew  cool, 
and  this  day's  journey  was  a  far  pleasanter  one  than 
its  predecessor.  We  continued  our  march  down  the 
valley  till  the  afternoon,  when  we  turned  aside  into 
a  narrow  gorge  running  up  at  a  sharp  angle  to  the 
northeast,  and  thus  entered  between  the  heights  of 
Djebel  Toweyk  itself. 

"  This  mountain  essentially  constitutes  Xedjed.  It 
is  a  wide  and  flat  chain,  or  rather  plateau,  whose 
general  form  is  that  of  a  huge  crescent.  If  I  may 


206  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

be  permitted  here  to  give  my  rough  guess  regarding 
the  elevation  of  the  main  plateau,  a  guess  grounded 
partly  on  the  vegetation,  climate,  and  similar  local 
features,  partly  on  an  approximate  estimate  of  the 
ascent  itself,  and  of  the  subsequent  descent  on  the 
other  or  sea  side,  I  should  say  that  it  varies  from  a 
height  of  one  to  two  thousand  feet  above  the  sur- 
rounding level  of  the  peninsula,  and  may  thus  be 
about  three  thousand  feet  at  most  above  the  sea.  Its 
loftiest  ledges  occur  in  the  Sedeyr  district,  where  we 
shall  pass  them  before  long ;  the  centre  and  the 
southwesterly  arm  is  certainly  lower.  Djebel  Toweyk 
is  the  middle  knot  of  Arabia,  its  Caucasus,  so  to  say  ; 
and  is  still,  as  it  has  often  been  in  former  times,  the 
turning-point  of  the  whole,  or  almost  the  whole, 
peninsula  in  a  political  and  national  bearing. 

"The  climate  of  the  northern  part  of  Djebel 
Toweyk,  whether  plateau  or  valley,  coincident  with 
the  province  of  Sedeyr,  is  perhaps  one  of  the  health- 
iest in  the  world  ;  an  exception  might  be  made  in 
favor  of  Djebel  Shomer  alone.  The  above-named 
districts  resemble  each  other  closely  in  dryness  of 
atmosphere,  and  the  inhabitants  of  Sedeyr,  like 
those  of  Shomer,  are  remarkable  for  their  ruddy  com- 
plexion and  well-developed  stature.  But  when  we 
approach  the  centre  of  the  mountain  crescent,  where 
its  whole  level  lowers,  while  the  more  southerly  lati- 
tude brings  it  nearer  to  the  prevailing  influences  of 
the  tropical  zone,  the  air  becomes  damper  and  more 
relaxing,  and  a  less  salubrious  climate  pictures  itself 
in  the  sallower  faces  and  slender  make  of  its  deni- 
zens. 


JOURNEY  TO  RI'AD  207 

"  Two  days  later  we  attained  the  great  plateau,  of 
which  I  have  a  few  pages  since  given  an  anticipated 
description. 

"About  noon  we  halted  in  a  brushwood-covered 
plain  to  light  fire  and  prepare  coffee.  After  which 
we  pursued  our  easterly  way,  still  a  little  to  the 
north,  now  and  then  meeting  with  travellers  or 
peasants;  but  a  European  would  find  these  roads  very 
lonely  in  comparison  with  those  of  his  own  country. 
All  the  more  did  I  admire  the  perfect  submission  and 
strict  police  enforced  by  the  central  government,  so 
that  even  a  casual  robbery  is  very  rare  in  the  prov- 
inces, and  highwaymen  are  totally  out  of  the  ques- 
tion. At  last,  near  the  same  hour  of  afternoon  that 
had  brought  us  the  day  before  to  Ghat,  we  came  in 
sight  of  Mejmaa',  formerly  capital  of  the  province, 
and  still  a  place  of  considerable  importance,  with  a 
population,  to  judge  by  appearances  and  hearsay,  of 
between  ten  and  twelve  thousand  souls. 

"  We  were  up  early  next  morning,  for  the  night 
air  was  brisk,  and  a  few  hours  of  sleep  had  sufficed  us. 

"After  sunrise  we  came  on  a  phenomenon  of  a 
nature,  I  believe,  without  a  second  or  a  parallel  in 
Central  Arabia,  yet  withal  most  welcome,  namely,  a 
tolerably  large  source  of  running  water,  forming  a 
wide  and  deepish  stream,  with  grassy  banks,  and 
frogs  croaking  in  the  herbage.  We  opened  our  eyes 
in  amazement ;  it  was  the  first  of  the  kind  that  we 
had  beheld  since  leaving  the  valley  of  Djowf.  But 
though  a  living,  it  is  a  short-lived  rivulet,  reaching 
only  four  or  five  hours'  distance  to  Djelajil,  where  it 
is  lost  amid  the  plantations  of  the  suburbs. 


208  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

"  We  had  not  long  traversed  the  Meteyr  encamp- 
ment, when  we  came  in  view  of  the  walls  of  Toweym, 
a  large  town,  containing  between  twelve  and  fifteen 
thousand  inhabitants,  according  to  the  computation 
here  in  use,  and  which  I  follow  for  want  of  better. 
The  houses  are  here  built  compactly,  of  two  stories 
in  general,  sometimes  three  ;  the  lower  rooms  are 
often  fifteen  or  sixteen  feet  high,  and  the  upper  ten 
or  twelve  ;  while  the  roof  itself  is  frequently  sur- 
rounded by  a  blind  wall  of  six  feet  or  more,  till  the 
whole  attains  a  fair  altitude,  and  is  not  altogether 
un  imposing. 

"  Early  next  day,  at  a  short  distance  from  Toweym, 
we  passed  another  large  village  with  battlemented 
walls,  and  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  road  a  square 
castle,  looking  very  mediaeval ;  this  was  Hafr.  A 
couple  of  hours  further  on  we  reached  Thomeyr,  a 
straggling  townlet,  more  abounding  in  broken  walls 
than  houses  ;  close  by  was  a  tall  white  rock,  crowned 
by  the  picturesque  remains  of  an  old  outwork  or  fort, 
overlooking  the  place.  Here  our  party  halted  for 
breakfast  in  the  shadow  of  the  ruins.  Barakat  and 
myself  determined  to  try  our  fortune  in  the  village 
itself;  no  guards  appeared  at  its  open  gate;  we 
entered  unchallenged,  and  roamed  through  silent 
lanes  and  heaps  of  rubbish,  vainly  seeking  news  of 
milk  and  dates  in  this  city  of  the  dead.  At  last  we 
met  a  meagre  townsman,  in  look  and  apparel  the 
apothecary  of  Romeo  ;  and  of  him,  not  without  mis- 
givings of  heart,  we  inquired  where  aught  eatable 
could  be  had  for  love  or  money.  He  apologized, 
though  there  was  scarce  need  of  that,  for  not  having 


: 


, 


JOURM-:Y  TO  WAD  209 

any  such  article  at  his  disposal ;  '  but,'  added  he,  '  in 
such  and  such  a  house  there  will  certainly  be  some- 
thing good,'  and  thitherward  he  preceded  us  in  our 
search.  We  found  indeed  a  large  dwelling,  but  the 
door  was  shut ;  we  knocked  to  no  purpose :  nobody 
at  home. 

"  Our  man  now  set  us  a  bolder  example,  and  we 
altogether  scrambled  through  a  breach  in  the  mud 
wall,  and  found  ourselves  amid  empty  rooms  and  a 
desolate  court-yard.  '  Everybody  is  out  in  the  fields, 
women  only  excepted,'  said  our  guide,  and  we  sepa- 
rated, no  better  off  than  before.  Despairing  of  the 
village  commissariat,  we  climbed  a  turret  on  the 
outer  walls,  and  looked  round.  Now  we  saw  at 
some  distance  a  beautiful  palm-grove,  where  we  con- 
cluded that  dates  could  not  be  wanting,  and  off  we 
set  for  it  across  the  stubble  fields.  But  on  arriving 
we  found  our  paradise  surrounded  by  high  walls,  and 
no  gate  discoverable.  "While  thus  we  stood  without, 
like  Milton's  fiend  at  Eden,  but  unable,  like  him,  '  by 
one  high  bound  to  overleap  all  bound,'  up  came  a 
handsome  Solibah  lad,  all  in  rags,  half-walking,  half- 
dancing,  in  the  devil-may-care  way  of  his  tribe. 
'  Can  you  tell  us  which  is  the  way  in  ? '  was  our  first 
question,  pointing  to  the  garden  before  us ;  and, 
'  Shall  I  sing  you  a  song  ? '  was  his  first  answer.  '  We 
don't  want  your  songs,  but  dates  ;  how  are  we  to  get 
at  them  ? '  we  replied.  '  Or  shall  I  perform  you  a 
dance?'  answered  the  grinning  young  scoundrel,  and 
forthwith  began  an  Arabian  polka-step,  laughing  all 
the  while  at  our  undisguised  impatience.  At  last  he 
condescended  to  show  us  the  way,  but  no  other  than 


210  TRAVELS  IX  ARABIA 

what  befitted  an  orchard-robbing  boy,  like  himself, 
for  it  lay  a  little  farther  off,  right  over  the  wall, 
which  he  scaled  with  practised  ingenuity,  and  helped 
ns  to  follow.  So  we  did,  though  perhaps  with  lion- 
ester  intentions,  and,  once  within,  stood  amid  trees, 
shade,  and  water.  The  'tender  juvenile'  then  set 
up  a  shout,  and  soon  a  man  appeared,  '  old  Adam's 
likeness  set  to  dress  this  garden,'  save  that  he  was 
not  old  but  young,  as  Adam  might  himself  have  been 
while  yet  in  Eden.  We  were  somewhat  afraid  of  a 
surly  reception,  too  well  merited  by  our  very  equivo- 
cal introduction ;  but  the  gardener  was  better-tem- 
pered than  many  of  his  caste,  and  after  saluting  us 
very  politely,  offered  his  services  at  our  disposal. 
We  then  proposed  to  purchase  a  stock  of  dates  for 
our  onward  way,  whereon  the  gardener  conducted  us 
to  an  outhouse  where  heaps  of  three  or  four  kinds  of 
this  fruit,  red  and  yellow,  round  or  long,  lay  piled 
up,  and  bade  us  choose.  At  his  recommendation  we 
filled  a  large  cloth,  which  we  had  brought  with  us  for 
the  purpose,  with  excellent  ruddy  dates,  and  gave  in 
return  a  small  piece  of  money,  welcome  here  as  else- 
where. We  then  took  leave  and  returned,  but  this 
time  through  the  garden  gate,  to  the  stubble  fields, 
and  passing  under  the  broken  walls  of  the  village, 
reached  our  companions,  who  had  become  anxious  at 
our  absence." 

For  three  days  longer  the  travellers  journeyed 
southward,  through  the  valleys  branching  out  from 
Djebel  Toweyk,  encamping  for  the  night  near  some 
of  the  small  towns.  "  In  the  early  gray  of  the  fourth 
morning,"  says  Palgrave,  "  we  passed  close  under  the 


JOURNEY   TO  RI'AD  211 

plantations  of  Rowdah  down  the  valley,  now  dry  and 
still,  once  overflowed  with  the  best  blood  of  Arabia, 
and  through  the  narrow  and  high-walled  pass  which 
gives  entrance  to  the  great  strongholds  of  the  land. 
The  sun  rose  and  lighted  up  to  our  view  wild  preci- 
pices on  either  side,  with  a  tangled  mass  of  broken 
rock  and  brushwood  below,  while  coveys  of  partridges 
started  up  at  our  feet,  and  deer  scampered  away  by 
the  gorges  to  right  or  left,  or  a  cloud  of  dust  an- 
nounced the  approach  of  peasant  bands  or  horsemen 
going  to  and  fro,  and  gardens  or  hamlets  gleamed 
through  side  openings  or  stood  niched  in  the  bulging 
passes  of  the  Wady  itself,  till  before  noon  we  arrived 
at  the  little  hamlet  of  Malka,  or  '  the  junction.' 

"  Its  name  is  derived  from  its  position.  Here  the 
valley  divides  in  form  of  a  Y,  sending  off  two 
branches — one  southerly  to  Dere}T'eeyah,  the  other 
southeast-by-east  through  the  centre  of  the  province, 
and  communicating  with  the  actual  capital,  Ri'ad. 

"  Aboo-'Eysa  had  meditated  bringing  us  on  that 
very  evening  to  Ri'ad.  But  eight  good  leagues  re- 
mained from  Malka  to  the  capital ;  and  when  the 
Na'ib  had  terminated  his  cosmetic  operations,  the 
easterly  turning  shadows  left  us  no  hope  of  attaining 
Rrad  before  nightfall.  However,  we  resumed  our 
march,  and  took  the  arm  of  the  valley  leading  to 
Derey'eeyah  ;  but  before  reaching  it  we  once  more 
quitted  the  Wady,  and  followed  a  shorter  path  by 
the  highlands  to  the  left.  Our  way  was  next  crossed 
by  a  long  range  of  towers,  built  by  Ibraheem  Pasha, 
as  outposts  for  the  defence  of  this  important  position. 
Within  their  line  stood  the  lonely  walls  of  a  large, 


212  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

square  barrack  ;  the  towers  were  what  we  sometimes 
call  Martello — short,  large,  and  round. 

"  The  level  rays  of  the  setting  sun  now  streamed 
across  the  plain,  and  we  came  on  the  ruins  of  Derey1- 
eeyah,  filling  up  the  whole  breadth  of  the  valley  be- 
neath. The  palace  walls,  of  unbaked  brick,  like  the 
rest,  rose  close  under  the  left  or  northern  edge,  but 
unroofed  and  tenantless ;  a  little  lower  down  a  wide 
extent  of  fragments  showed  where  the  immense 
mosque  had  been,  and  hard  by,  the  market-place  \  a 
tower  on  an  isolated  height  was,  I  suppose,  the  orig- 
inal dwelling-place  of  the  Sa'ood  family,  while  yet 
mere  local  chieftains,  before  growing  greatness  trans- 
ferred them  to  their  imperial  palace.  The  outer  for- 
tifications remained  almost  uninjured  for  much  of 
their  extent,  with  turrets  and  bastions  reddening  in 
the  western  light ;  in  other  places  the  Egyptian  artil- 
lery, or  the  process  of  years,  had  levelled  them  with 
the  earth  ;  within  the  town  many  houses  were  yet 
standing,  but  uninhabited,  and  the  lines  of  the  streets 
from  gate  to  gate  were  distinct  as  in  a  ground  plan. 
From  the  great,  size  of  the  town  (for  it  is  full  half  a 
mile  in  length,  and  not  much  less  in  breadth),  and 
from  the  close  packing  of  the  houses,  I  should  esti- 
mate its  capacity  at  above  forty  thousand  indwellers. 
The  gardens  lie  without,  and  still  '  living  waved 
where  man  had  ceased  to  live,' in  full  beauty  and  lux- 
uriance, a  deep  green  ring  around  the  gray  ruins. 
For  although  the  Nedjeans,  holding  it  for  an  ill  omen 
to  rebuild  and  reinhabit  a  town  so  fatally  over- 
thrown, have  transplanted  the  seat  of  government,  and 
with  it  the  bulk  of  the  city  population,  to  Ri'ad,  they 


JOURNEY  TO  RI'AD  213 

have  not  deemed  it  equally  necessary  to  abandon  the 
rich  plantations  and  well- watered  fields  belonging  to 
the  old  capital  ;  and  thus  a  small  colony  of  gardeners 
in  scattered  huts  and  village  dwellings  close  under  the 
walls  protract  the  blighted  existence  of  Derey'eeyah. 

"  While  from  our  commanding  elevation  we  gazed 
thoughtfully  on  this  scene,  so  full  of  remembrances, 
the  sun  set,  and  darkness  grew  on.  We  naturally 
proposed  a  halt,  but  Aboo-'Eysa  turned  a  deaf  ear, 
and  affirmed  that  a  garden  belonging  to  'Abd-er- 
Rahman,  already  mentioned  as  grandson  of  the  first 
Wahabee,  was  but  a  little  farther  before  us,  and  bet- 
ter adapted  to  our  night's  rest  than  the  ruins.  In 
truth,  three  hours  of  brisk  travelling  yet  intervened 
between  Derey'eeyah  and  the  place  in  question  ;  but 
our  guide  was  unwilling  to  enter  Derey'eeyah  in  com- 
pany of  Persians  and  Syrians,  Shiya'ees  and  Chris- 
tians ;  and  this  he  afterward  confessed  to  me.  For, 
whether  from  one  of  those  curious  local  influences 
which  outlast  even  the  change  of  races,  and  give  one 
abiding  color  to  the  successive  tenants  of  the  same 
spot,  or  whether  it  be  occasioned  by  the  constant  view 
of  their  fallen  greatness  and  the  triumph  of  their 
enemies,  the  scanty  population  of  Derey'eeyah  com- 
prises some  of  the  bitterest  and  most  bigoted  fanatics 
that  even  'Aared  can  offer.  Accordingly  we  moved 
on,  still  keeping  to  the  heights,  and  late  at  night  de- 
scended a  little  hollow,  where,  amid  an  extensive  gar- 
den, stood  the  country  villa  of  'Abd-er-Rahman. 

"  We  did  not  attempt  to  enter  the  house  ;  indeed, 
at  such  an  hour  no  one  was  stirring  to  receive  us. 
But  a  shed  in  the  garden  close  by  sufficed  for  travel- 


214  TRAVELS  IN  ABASIA 

lers  who  were  all  too  weary  to  desire  aught  but  sleep  ; 
and  this  we  soon  found  in  spite  of  dogs  and  jackals, 
numerous  here  and  throughout  Xedjed. 

"  From  this  locality  to  the  capital  was  about  four 
miles'  distance.  Our  party  divided  next  morning ; 
the  Xa'ib  and  his  associates  remaining  behind,  while 
Barakat  and  myself,  with  Aboo-'Eysa,  set  off  straight 
for  the  town,  where  our  guide  was  to  give  notice  at 
the  palace  of  the  approach  of  the  Persian  dignitary, 
that  the  honors  due  to  his  reception  might  meet  him 
half-way.  At  our  request  the  Meccans  stayed  also  in 
the  rear ;  we  did  not  desire  the  equivocal  effect  of 
their  company  on  a  first  appearance. 

"  For  about  an  hour  we  proceeded  southward, 
through  barren  and  undulating  ground,  unable  to  see 
over  the  country  to  any  distance.  At  last  we  attained 
a  rising  eminence,  and  crossing  it,  came  at  once  in 
full  view  of  Ri'ad,  the  main  object  of  our  long  jour- 
ney— the  capital  of  Nedjed  and  half  Arabia,  its  very 
heart  of  hearts. 

"  Before  us  stretched  a  wild  open  valley,  and  in  its 
foreground,  immediately  below  the  pebbly  slope  on 
whose  summit  we  stood,  lay  the  capital,  large  and 
square,  crowned  by  high  towers  and  strong  walls  of 
defence,  a  mass  of  roofs  and  terraces,  where  overtop- 
ping all  frowned  the  huge  but  irregular  pile  of  Fey- 
sul's  royal  castle,  and  hard  by  it  rose  the  scarce  less 
conspicuous  palace,  built  and  inhabited  by  his  eldest 
son,  'Abdallah.  Other  edifices,  too,  of  remarkable 
appearance  broke  here  and  there  through  the  maze  of 
gray  roof-tops,  but  of  their  object  and  indwellers  we 
were  yet  to  learn.  All  around  for  full  three  miles 


JOURNEY  TO  RI'AD  215 

over  the  surrounding  plain,  but  more  especially  to 
the  west  and  south,  waved  a  sea  of  palm-trees  above 
green  fields  and  well-watered  gardens ;  while  the 
singing,  droning  sound  of  the  water-wheels  reached 
us  even  where  we  had  halted,  at  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
or  more  from  the  nearest  town-walls.  On  the  oppo- 
site side  southward,  the  valley  opened  out  into  the 
great  and  even  more  fertile  plains  of  Yematnah, 
thickly  dotted  with  groves  and  villages,  among  which 
the  large  town  of  Manfoohah,  hardly  inferior  in  size 
to  Ri'ad  itself,  might  be  clearly  distinguished.  Far- 
ther in  the  background  ranged  the  blue  hills,  the 
ragged  Sierra  of  Yemamah,  compared  some  thirteen 
hundred  years  since,  by  'Amroo-ebn-Kelthoom,  the 
Shomerite,  to  drawn  swords  in  battle  array  ;  and  be- 
hind them  was  concealed  the  immeasurable  Desert  of 
the  South,  or  Dahna.  On  the  west  the  valley  closes 
in  and  narrows  in  its  upward  windings  toward  De- 
rey'eeyah,  while  to  the  southwest  the  low  mounds  of 
Aflaj  are  the  division  between  it  and  Wady  Dowasir. 
Due  east  in  the  distance  a  long  blue  line  marks  the 
farthest  heights  of  Toweyk,  and  shuts  out  from  view 
the  low  ground  of  Hasa  and  the  shores  of  the  Per- 
sian Gulf.  In  all  the  countries  which  I  have  visited, 
and  they  are  many,  seldom  has  it  been  mine  to  sur- 
vey a  landscape  equal  to  this  in  beauty  and  in  his- 
torical meaning,  rich  and  full  alike  to  eye  and  mind. 
But  should  any  of  my  readers  have  ever  approached 
Damascus  from  the  side  of  the  Anti-Lebanon,  and 
surveyed  the  Ghootah  from  the  heights  above  Mazzeh, 
they  may  thence  form  an  approximate  idea  of  the 
valley  of  Ri'ad  when  viewed  from  the  north.  Only 


216  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

this  is  wider  and  more  varied,  and  the  circle  of  vision 
here  embraces  vaster  plains  and  bolder  mountains  ; 
while  the  mixture  of  tropical  aridity  and  luxuriant 
verdure,  of  crowded  population  and  desert  tracks,  is 
one  that  Arabia  alone  can  present,  and  in  comparison 
with  which  Syria  seems  tame,  and  Italy  monotonous." 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

PALGRAVE'S  TRAVELS—  ADVENTURES  IN  RI'AD 


ARARAT  and  myself  stopped  our  drome- 
daries  a  few  minutes  on  the  height  to  study 
and  enjoy  this  noble  prospect,  and  to  forget  the  anx- 
iety inseparable  from  a  first  approach  to  the  lion's 
own  den.  Aboo-'Eysa,  too,  though  not  unacquainted 
with  the  scene,  willingly  paused  with  us  to  point  out 
and  name  the  main  features  of  the  view,  and  show 
us  where  lay  the  onward  road  to  his  home  in  Hasa. 
We  then  descended  the  slope  and  skirted  the  walls 
of  the  first  outlying  plantations  which  gird  the  town. 
"  At  last  we  reached  a  great  open  square  :  its  right 
side,  the  northern,  consists  of  shops  and  warehouses  ; 
while  the  left  is  entirely  absorbed  by  the  huge  abode 
of  Ned  jean  royalty  ;  in  front  of  us,  and  consequently 
to  the  west,  a  long  covered  passage,  upborne  high  on 
a  clumsy  colonnade,  crossed  the  breadth  of  the 
square,  and  reached  from  the  palace  to  the  great 
mosque,  which  it  thus  joins  directly  with  the  interior 
of  the  castle  and  affords  old  Feysul  a  private  and  un- 
seen passage  at  will  from  his  own  apartments  to  his 
official  post  at  the  Friday  prayers,  without  exposing 
him  on  his  way  to  vulgar  curiosity,  or  perhaps  to  the 
dangers  of  treachery.  For  the  fate  of  his  father  and 
of  his  great-uncle,  his  predecessors  on  the  throne,  and 
each  of  them  pierced  by  the  dagger  of  an  assassin 

15 


218  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

during  public  worship,  has  rendered  Feysul  very 
timid  on  this  score,  though  not  at  prayer-time  only. 
Behind  this  colonnade,  other  shops  and  warehouses 
make  up  the  end  of  the  square,  or,  more  properly, 
parallelogram  ;  its  total  length  is  about  two  hundred 
paces,  by  rather  more  than  half  the  same  width.  In 
the  midst  of  this  space,  and  under  the  far-reaching 
shadow  of  the  castle  walls,  are  seated  some  fifty  or 
sixty  women,  each  with  a  stock  of  bread,  dates,  milk, 
vegetables,  or  firewood  before  her  for  sale. 

"  But  we  did  not  now  stop  to  gaze,  nor  indeed  did 
we  pay  much  attention  to  all  this ;  our  first  introduc- 
tion to  the  monarch  and  the  critical  position  before 
us  took  up  all  our  thoughts.  So  we  paced  on  along- 
side of  the  long  blind  wall  running  out  from  the 
central  keep,  and  looking  more  like  the  outside  of 
a  fortress  than  of  a  peaceful  residence,  till  we  came 
near  a  low  and  narrow  gate,  the  only  entry  to  the 
palace.  Deep-sunk  between  the  bastions,  with  mas- 
sive folding-doors  iron  bound,  though  thrown  open 
at  this  hour  of  the  day,  and  giving  entrance  into  a 
dark  passage,  one  might  easily  have  taken  it  for  the 
vestibule  of  a  prison  ;  while  the  number  of  guards, 
some  black,  some  white,  but  all  sword-girt,  who  al- 
most choked  the  way,  did  not  seem  very  inviting  to 
those  without,  especially  to  foreigners.  Long  earth 
seats  lined  the  adjoining  walls,  and  afforded  a  conve- 
nient waiting-place  for  visitors  ;  and  here  we  took  up 
our  rest  at  a  little  distance  from  the  palace  gate  ;  but 
Aboo-'Eysa  entered  at  once  to  announce  our  arrival, 
and  the  approach  of  the  Na'ib. 

"  The  first  who  drew  near  and  saluted  us  was  a 


ADVENTURES  IN  RI'AD  219 

tall,  meagre  figure,  of  a  sallow  complexion,  and  an 
intelligent  but  slightly  ill-natured  and  underhand 
cast  of  features.  He  was  very  well  dressed,  though 
of  course  without  a  vestige  of  unlawful  silk  in  his 
apparel,  and  a  certain  air  of  conscious  importance 
tempered  the  affability  of  his  politeness.  This  was 
'Abd-el-'Azeez,  whom,  for  want  of  a  better  title,  I 
shall  call  the  minister  of  foreign  affairs,  such,  being 
the  approximate  translation  of  his  official  style. 

"  Accompanied  by  some  attendants  from  the  pal- 
ace, he  came  stately  up,  and  seated  himself  by  our 
side.  He  next  began  the  customary  interrogations 
of  whence  and  what,  with  much  smiling  courtesy 
and  show  of  welcome.  After  hearing  our  replies, 
the  same  of  course  as  those  given  elsewhere,  he  in- 
vited us  to  enter  the  precincts,  and  partake  of  his 
Majesty's  coffee  and  hospitality,  while  he  promised 
us  more  immediate  communications  from  the  king 
himself  in  the  course  of  the  day. 

"  If  my  readers  have  seen,  as  most  of  them  un- 
doubtedly will,  the  Paris  Tuileries,  they  may  hereby 
know  that  the  whole  extent  of  Feysul's  palace  equals 
about  two-thirds  of  that  construction,  and  is  little  in- 
ferior to  it  in  height ;  if  indeed  we  except  the  angu- 
lar pyramidal  roofs  or  extinguishers  peculiar  to  the 
French  edifice.  But  in  ornament  the  Parisian  pile 
has  the  better  of  it,  for  there  is  small  pretensions  to 
architectural  embellishment  in  this  Wahabee  Louvre. 
Without,  within,  every  other  consideration  has  been 
sacrificed  to  strength  and  security;  and  the  outer 
view  of  Newgate,  at  any  rate,  bears  a  very  strong  re- 
semblance to  the  general  effect  of  Feysul's  palace. 


220  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

"  Aboo-'Eysa  meanwhile,  in  company  with  the  out- 
riders sent  from  the  palace,  had  gone  to  meet  the 
Na'ib  and  introduce  him  to  the  lodgings  prepared 
for  his  reception.  Very  much  was  the  Persian  as- 
tounded to  find  none  of  the  royal  family  among  those 
who  thus  came,  no  one  even  of  high  name  or  office ; 
but  yet  more  was  his  surprise  when,  instead  of  im- 
mediate admittance  to  Feysul's  presence  and  eager 
embrace,  he  was  quietly  led  aside  to  the  very  guest- 
room whither  we  had  been  conducted,  and  a  dinner 
not  a  whit  more  sumptuous  than  ours  was  set  before 
him,  after  which  he  was  very  coolly  told  that  he 
might  pray  for  Feysul  and  retire  to  his  quarters, 
while  the  king  settled  the  day  and  hour  whereon  he 
would  vouchsafe  him  the  honor  of  an  audience. 

"  Afterward,  the  minister  of  foreign  affairs  conde- 
scended to  come  in  person,  and,  sweetly  smiling,  in- 
formed us  that  our  temporary  habitation  was  ready, 
and  that  Aboo-'Eysa  would  conduct  us  thither  with- 
out delay.  We  then  begged  to  know,  if  possible,  the 
king's  good-will  and  pleasure  regarding  our  stay  and 
our  business  in  the  town.  For  on  our  first  introduc- 
tion we  had  duly  stated,  in  the  most  correct  Waha- 
bee  phraseology,  that  we  had  come  to  Ivi'ad  '  desiring 
the  favor  of  God,  and  secondly  of  Feysul ;  and  that 
we  begged  of  God,  and  secondty  of  Feysul,  permis- 
sion to  exercise  in  the  town  our  medical  profession, 
under  the  protection  of  God,  and  in  the  next  place 
of  Feysul.'  For  Dogberry's  advice  to  '  set  God  first, 
for  God  defend  but  God  should  go  before  such  vil- 
lains,' is  here  observed  to  the  letter  ;  whatever  is  de- 
sired, purported,  or  asked,  the  Deity  must  take  the 


ADVENTURES  IN  RI'AD  221 

lead.  Nor  this  only,  but  even  the  subsequent  men- 
tion of  the  creature  must  nowise  be  coupled  with 
that  of  the  Creator  by  the  ordinary  conjunction  '  w',' 
that  is,  'and,'  since  that  would  imply  equality  be- 
tween  the  two — flat  blasphemy  in  word  or  thought. 
Hence  the  disjunctive  '  thumma,'  or  'next  after,'  'at 
a  distance,'  must  take  the  place  of  '  w','  under  pen- 
alty of  prosecution  under  the  statute.  '  Unlucky  the 
man  who  visits  Xedjed  without  being  previously  well 
versed  in  the  niceties  of  grammar,'  said  Barakut ; 
'under  these  schoolmasters  a  mistake  might  cost  the 
scholar  his  head.'  But  of  this  more  anon;  to  return 
to  our  subject,  'Abd-el-'Azeez,  a  true  politician,  an- 
swered our  second  interrogation  with  a  vague  assur- 
ance of  good-will  and  unmeaning  patronage.  Mean- 
time the  Na'ib  and  his  train  inarched  off  in  high 
dudgeon  to  their  quarters,  and  Aboo-'Eysa  gave  our 
dromedaries  a  kick,  made  them  rise,  and  drove  them 
before  us  to  our  new  abode." 

In  the  course  of  a  day  or  two  the  travellers  dis- 
covered what  a  sensation  the  arrival  of  their  caravan 
had  produced  at  court.  The  old  king,  Feysul,  now 
in  the  thirty-third  year  of  his  reign,  possessed  all  the 
superstition  and  bigotry  of  the  old  Wahabees,  and 
the  sudden  presence  of  Syrians,  suspected  of  being 
Christians,  Persians,  and  Meccans,  in  his  capital,  was 
too  much  for  him.  He  at  once  left  the  palace,  took 
up  his  temporary  residence  in  a  house  outside  the 
city,  and  a  strong  guard  was  posted  around  him  until 
the  court  officials  should  have  time  to  examine  the 
strangers,  discover,  if  possible,  their  secret  designs, 
and  report  them  to  the  king.  The  first  spy  was  a 


222  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

shrewd  and  intelligent  Affghan,  a  pretended  convert 
to  the  Wahabee  doctrine,  who  discovered  nothing, 
and  consequently  made  an  unfavorable  report.  The 
second  was  a  "  man  of  zeal,"  one  of  a  committee  of 
twenty-two  inquisitors,  appointed  by  the  king  to  ex- 
ercise constant  espionage  upon  the  inhabitants,  with 
the  power  of  punishing  them  at  will  for  any  infrac- 
tion or  neglect  of  the  Wahabee  discipline.  Palgrave 
gives  the  following  account  of  his  visit: 

"  Abbood,  for  such  was  his  name,  though  I  never 
met  the  like  before  or  after  in  Arabia  proper,  how- 
ever common  it  may  be  in  Syria  and  Lebanon,  took 
a  different  and  more  efficacious  mode  of  espionage 
than  'Abd-el-Hameed  had  done  before  him.  Affect- 
ing to  consider  us  Mahometans,  and  learned  ones 
too,  he  entered  at  once  on  religious  topics,  on  the 
true  character  of  Islam,  its  purity  or  corruptions,  and 
inquired  much  after  the  present  teaching  and  usages 
of  Damascus  and  the  North,  evidently  in  the  view  of 
catching  us  in  our  words.  But  he  had  luckily  en- 
countered his  match  ;  for  every  citation  of  the  Koran 
we  replied  with  two,  and  proved  ourselves  intimately 
acquainted  with  the  '  greater '  and  the  '  lesser '  poly- 
theism of  foreign  nations  and  heterodox  Mahometans, 
with  the  commentaries  of  Beydowee  and  the  tales  of 
the  Hadeeth,  till  our  visitor,  now  won  over  to  confi- 
dence, launched  out  full  sail  on  the  sea  of  discussion, 
and  thereby  rendered  himself  equally  instructive  and 
interesting  to  men  who  had  nothing  more  at  heart 
than  to  learn  the  tenets  of  the  sect  from  one  of  its 
most  zealous  professors,  nay,  a  Zelator  in  person.  In 
short,  he  ended  by  becoming  half  a  friend,  and  his 


ADVENTURES  IN  RI'AD  223 

regrets  at  our  being,  like  other  Damascenes,  yet  in 
the  outer  porch  of  darkness,  were  tempered  by  a 
hope,  which  he  did  not  disguise,  of  at  least  put- 
ting a  window  in  our  porch  for  its  better  enlight- 
enment." 

Next  day,  in  the  forenoon,  while  the  travellers 
were  sauntering  about  the  market-place,  they  met 
the  minister  'Abd-el-'Azeez,  who  had  that  morning 
returned  to  the  capital.  With  a  smiling  face  and 
an  air  of  great  benignity  he  took  them  aside,  and  in- 
formed them  the  king  did  not  consider  Ri'ad  a 
proper  field  for  their  medical  skill  ;  that  they  had 
better  at  once  continue  their  journey  to  Hofhoof, 
whither  Aboo-'Eysa  should  conduct  them  straight- 
way ;  and  that  the  king  would  furnish  each  of  them 
with  a  camel,  a  new  suit  of  clothes,  and  some  money. 
To  these  arguments  Palgrave  could  only  answer  that 
he  greatly  desired  the  profit  to  be  expected  from  a 
few  weeks  of  medical  practice  in  Ri'ad,  since  his 
success  there  would  give  him  an  immediate  reputa- 
tion in  Hofhoof,  while  his  departure  might  deprive 
him  of  all  reputation  at  the  latter  place.  The  min- 
ister promised  to  present  his  plea  to  Feysul,  but  gave 
him  no  hope  of  a  favorable  answer.  The  order  to 
leave  was  repeated,  and  then,  as  a  last  experiment, 
Palgrave  sent  to  two  of  the  ministers  a  pound  of  the 
fragrant  wood,  which  is  burned  as  pastilles  in  Ara- 
bia, and  is  highly  prized  by  the  upper  classes.  The 
next  day  he  received  permission  to  remain  longer  in 
Ri'ad  and  exercise  his  profession.  He  thereupon 
took  another  residence,  not  so  near  the  palace,  and 
within  convenient  reach  of  one  of  the  city  gates. 


224  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

Before  describing  the  place  he  gives  the  following 
account  of  the  famous  Arabian  coffee : 

"  Be  it  then  known,  by  way  of  prelude,  that  cof- 
fee, though  one  in  name,  is  manifold  in  fact ;  nor  is 
every  kind  of  berry  entitled  to  the  high  qualifica- 
tions too  indiscriminately  bestowed  on  the  compre- 
hensive genus.  The  best  coffee,  let  cavillers  say 
what  they  will,  is  that  of  the  Yemen,  commonly  en- 
titled '  Mokha,' f rom  the  main  place  of  exportation. 
Now,  I  should  be  sorry  to  incur  a  lawsuit  for  libel  or 
defamation  from  our  wholesale  or  retail  salesmen  ; 
but  were  the  particle  NOT  prefixed  to  the  countless 
labels  in  London  shop  windows  that  bear  the  name 
of  the  Red  Sea  haven,  they  would  have  a  more 
truthy  import  than  what  at  present  they  convey. 
Very  little,  so  little  indeed  as  to  be  quite  inapprecia- 
ble, of  the  Mocha  or  Yemen  berry  ever  finds  its  way 
westward  of  Constantinople.  Arabia  itself,  Syria, 
and  Egypt  consume  fully  two-thirds,  and  the  re- 
mainder is  almost  exclusively  absorbed  by  Turkish 
and  Armenian  oesophagi.  Nor  do  these  last  get  for 
their  limited  share  the  best  or  the  purest.  Before 
reaching  the  harbors  of  Alexandria,  Jaffa,  Beyrout, 
etc.,  for  further  exportation,  the  Mokhan  bales  have 
been,  while  yet  on  their  way,  sifted  and  resifted, 
grain  by  grain,  and  whatever  they  may  have  con- 
tained of  the  hard,  rounded,  half-transparent,  green- 
ish-brown berry,  the  only  one  really  worth  roasting 
and  pounding,  has  been  carefully  picked  out  by  ex- 
perienced fingers  ;  and  it  is  the  less  generous  residue 
of  flattened,  opaque,  and  whitish  grains  which  alone, 
or  almost  alone,  goes  on  board  the  shipping.  So 


ADVENTURES  IX  1U  AD 

constant  is  this  selecting  process,  that  a  gradation 
regular  as  the  degrees  on  a  map  may  be  observed 
in  the  quality  of  Mokha.  that  is.  Yemen,  coffee  even 
within  the  limits  of  Arabia  itself,  in  proportion  as 
one  approaches  to  or  recedes  from  Wadi  Nejran  and 
the  neighborhood  of  Mecca,  the  first  stages  of  the 
radiating  mart.  I  have  myself  been  times  out  of 
number  an  eye-witness  of  this  sifting  ;  the  operation 
is  performed  with  the  utmost  seriousness  and  scrupu- 
lous exactness,  reminding  me  of  the  diligence  as- 
cribed to  American  diamond-searchers  when  scruti- 
nizing the  torrent  sands  for  their  minute  but  precious 
treasure. 

"  The  berry,  thus  qualified  for  foreign  use,  quits 
its  native  land  on  three  main  lines  of  export — that 
of  the  Red  Sea,  that  of  the  inner  Iledjaz,  and  that 
of  Kaseem.  The  terminus  of  the  first  line  is  Egypt, 
of  the  second  Syria,  of  the  third  Xedjed  and  Shomer. 
Hence  Eirypt  and  Syria  are,  of  all  countries  without 
the  frontiers  of  Arabia,  the  best  supplied  with  its 
specific  produce,  though  under  the  restrictions  al- 
ready stated  ;  and  through  Alexandria  or  the  Syrian 
seaports,  Constantinople  and  the  Xorth  obtain  their 
diminished  share.  But  this  last  stage  of  transport 
seldom  conveys  the  genuine  article,  except  by  the 
intervention  of  private  arrangements  and  personal 
friendship  or  interest.  Where  mere  sale  and  traffic 
are  concerned,  substitution  of  an  inferior  quali 
an  adulteration  almost  equivalent  to  substitution, 
frequently  takes  place  in  the  different  storehouses  of 
the  coast,  till  whatever  Mokha-marked  coffee  leaves 
them  for  Europe  and  the  West,  is  often  no  more  like 


226  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

the  real  offspring  of  the  Yemen  plant  than  the  log- 
wood preparations  of  a  London  fourth-rate  retail 
wine-seller  resemble  the  pure  libations  of  an  Oporto 
vineyard. 

"  The  second  species  of  coffee,  by  some  preferred 
to  that  of  Yemen,  but  in  my  poor  opinion  inferior 
to  it,  is  the  growth  of  Abyssinia ;  its  berry  is  larger, 
and  of  a  somewhat  different  and  a  less  heating  flavor. 
It  is,  however,  an  excellent  species ;  and  whenever 
the  rich  land  that  bears  it  shall  be  permitted  by  man 
to  enjoy  the  benefits  of  her  natural  fertility,  it  will 
probably  become  an  object  of  extensive  cultivation 
and  commerce.  With  this  stops,  at  least  in  European 
opinion  and  taste,  the  list  of  coffee,  and  begins  the 
list  of  beans. 

"  While  we  were  yet  in  the  Djowf  I  described 
with  sufficient  minuteness  how  the  berry  is  prepared 
for  actual  use  ;  nor  is  the  process  any  way  varied  in 
Nedjed  or  other  Arab  lands.  But  in  Kedjed  an  ad- 
ditional spicing  of  saffron,  cloves,  and  the  like,  is 
still  more  common  ;  a  fact  which  is  easily  explained 
by  the  want  of  what  stimulus  tobacco  affords  else- 
where. A  second  consequence  of  non-smoking 
among  the  Arabs  is  the  increased  strength  of  their 
coffee  decoctions  in  Nedjed,  and  the  prodigious  fre- 
quency of  their  use ;  to  which  we  must  add  the 
larger  '  finjans,'  or  coffee-cups,  here  in  fashion.  So 
sure  are  men,  when  debarred  of  one  pleasure  or  ex- 
citement, to  make  it  up  by  another." 

Palgrave  gives  the  following  picturesque  descrip- 
tion of  the  Wahabee  capital :  "  We  wrap  our  head- 
gear, like  true  Arabs,  round  our  chins,  put  on  our 


ADVENTURES  IN  RI'AD  227 

grave-looking  black  cloaks,  take  each  a  long  stick  in 
hand,  and  thread  the  narrow  streets  intermediate  be- 
tween our  house  and  the  market-place  at  a  funeral 
pace,  and  speaking  in  an  undertone.  Those  whom 
we  meet  salute  us,  or  we  salute  them  ;  be  it  known 
that  the  lesser  number  should  always  be  the  first  to 
salute  the  greater,  he  who  rides  him  who  walks,  he 
who  walks  him  who  stands,  the  stander  the  sitter,  and 
so  forth ;  but  never  should  a  man  salute  a  woman  ; 
difference  of  age  or  even  of  rank  between  men  does 
not  enter  into  the  general  rules  touching  the  priority 
of  salutation.  If  those  whom  we  have  accosted  hap- 
pen to  be  acquaintances  or  patients,  or  should  they 
belong  to  the  latitudinarian  school,  our  salutation  is 
duly  returned.  But  if,  by  ill  fortune,  they  appertain 
to  the  strict  and  high  orthodox  party,  an  under-look 
with  a  half  scowl  in  silence  is  their  only  answer  to 
our  greeting.  Whereat  we  smile,  Malvolio-like,  and 
pass  on. 

"At  last  we  reach  the  market-place  ;  it  is  full  of 
women  and  peasants,  selling  exactly  what  we  want  to 
buy,  besides  meat,  firewood,  rnilk,  etc.;  around  are 
customers,  come  on  errands  like  our  own.  We  single 
out  a  tempting  basket  of  dates,  and  begin  haggling 
with  the  unbeautiful  Phyllis,  seated  beside  her  rural 
store.  We  find  the  price  too  high.  '  By  Him  who 
protects  Feysul,'  answers  she,  '  I  am  the  loser  at  that 
price.'  We  insist.  '  By  Him  who  shall  grant  Feysul 
a  long  life,  I  cannot  bate  it,'  she  replies.  We  have 
nothing  to  oppose  to  such  tremendous  asseverations, 
and  accede  or  pass  on,  as  the  case  may  be. 

"  Half  of  the  shops,  namely,  those  containing  gro- 


228  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

eery,  household  articles  of  use,  shoemakers'  stalls  and 
smithies,  are  already  open  and  busily  thronged.  For 
the  capital  of  a  strongly  centralized  empire  is  always 
full  of  strangers,  come  will  they  nill  they  on  their 
several  affairs.  But  around  the  butchers'  shops 
awaits  the  greatest  human  and  canine  crowd.  My 
readers,  I  doubt  not,  know  that  the  only  licensed 
scavengers  throughout  the  East  are  the  dogs.  Ked- 
jeans  are  great  flesh-eaters,  and  no  wonder,  consider- 
ing the  cheapness  of  meat  (a  fine  fat  sheep  costs  at 
most  five  shillings,  often  less)  and  the  keenness  of 
mountaineer  appetites.  I  wish  that  the  police  regu- 
lations of  the  city  would  enforce  a  little  more  cleanli- 
ness about  these  numerous  shambles ;  every  refuse  is 
left  to  cumber  the  ground  at  scarce  two  yards'  dis- 
tance. But  dogs  and  dry  air  much  alleviate  the 
nuisance — a  remark  I  made  before  at  Ha'yel  and 
Bereydah ;  it  holds  true  for  all  Central  Arabia. 

"  Barakat  and  I  resolve  on  continuing  our  walk 
through  the  town.  Ri'ad  is  divided  into  four  quar- 
ters :  one,  the  northeastern,  to  which  the  palaces  of 
the  royal  family,  the  houses  of  the  state  officers,  and 
the  richer  class  of  proprietors  and  government  men 
belong.  Here  the  dwellings  are  in  general  high,  and 
the  streets  tolerably  straight  and  not  over-narrow  ; 
but  the  ground  level  is  low,  and  it  is  perhaps  the 
least  healthy  locality  of  all.  .Next  the  northwestern, 
where  we  are  lodged  ;  a  large  irregular  mass  of 
houses,  varying  in  size  and  keeping  from  the  best  to 
the  worst ;  here  strangers,  and  often  certain  equiv- 
ocal characters,  never  wanting  in  large  towns,  how- 
ever strictly  regulated,  chiefly  abide ;  here  too  are 


ADVENTURES  IN  El 'AD  229 

many  noted  for  disaffection,  and  harboring  other 
tenets  than  those  of  the  son  of  'Abdel-Wahab,  men 
prone  to  old  Arab  ways  and  customs  in  '  Church  and 
State,'  to  borrow  our  own  analogous  phrase  ;  here 
are  country  chiefs,  here  Bedouins  and  natives  of  Zul- 
phah  and  the  outskirts  find  a  lodging ;  here,  if  any- 
where, is  tobacco  smoked  or  sold,  and  the  Koran 
neglected  in  proportion.  However,  I  would  not  have 
my  readers  to  think  our  entire  neighborhood  so  abso- 
lutely disreputable. 

"  But  we  gladly  turn  away  our  eyes  from  so  dreary 
a  view  to  refresh  them  by  a  survey  of  the  southwest- 
ern quarter,  the  chosen  abode  of  formalism  and  or- 
thodoxy. In  this  section  of  Ri'ad  inhabit  the  most 
energetic  Zelators,  here  are  the  most  irreproachable 
five-prayers-a-day  Ned  jeans,  and  all  the  flower  of 
"Wahabee  purity.  Above  all,  here  dwell  the  principal 
survivors  of  the  family  of  the  great  religious  Founder, 
the  posterity  of  'Abd-el-Wahab  escaped  from  the 
Egyptian  sword,  and  free  from  every  stain  of  foreign 
contamination.  Mosques  of  primitive  simplicity  and 
ample  space,  where  the  great  dogma,  not  however 
confined  to  Ri'ad,  that  '  we  are  exactly  in  the  right, 
and  everyone  else  is  in  the  wrong,'  is  daily  incul- 
cated to  crowds  of  auditors,  overjoyed  to  find  Par- 
adise all  theirs  and  none's  but  theirs ;  smaller  ora- 
tories of  Musallas,  wells  for  ablution,  and  Kaabah- 
directed  niches  adorn  every  corner,  and  fill  up  every 
interval  of  house  or  orchard.  The  streets  of  this 
quarter  are  open,  and  the  air  healthy,  so  that  the  in- 
visible blessing  is  seconded  by  sensible  and  visible 
privileges  of  Providence.  Think  not,  gentle  reader, 


230  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

that  I  am  indulging  in  gratuitous  or  self-invented 
irony  ;  I  am  only  rendering  expression  for  expression, 
and  almost  word  for  word,  the  talk  of  true  Waha- 
bees,  when  describing  the  model  quarter  of  their 
model  city.  This  section  of  the  town  is  spacious  and 
well-peopled,  and  flourishes,  the  citadel  of  national 
and  religious  intolerance,  pious  pride,  and  genuine 
Wahabeeism. 

"  Hound  the  whole  town  run  the  walls,  varying 
from  twenty  to  thirty  feet  in  height ;  they  are  strong, 
in  good  repair,  and  defended  by  a  deep  trench  and 
embankment.  Beyond  them  are  the  gardens,  much 
similar  to  those  of  Kaseem,  both  in  arrangement  and 
produce,  despite  the  difference  of  latitude,  here  com- 
pensated by  a  higher  ground  level.  But  immedi- 
ately to  the  south,  in  Yemamah,  the  eye  remarks  a 
change  in  the  vegetation  to  a  more  tropical  aspect ; 
of  this,  however,  I  will  not  say  more  for  the  present. 

"  According  to  promise,  Aboo-'  Eysa  played  his  part 
to  bring  us  in  patients  and  customers,  and  the  very 
second  morning  that  dawned  on  us  in  our  new  house 
ushered  in  an  invalid  who  proved  a  very  godsend. 
This  was  no  other  than  Djowhar,  treasurer  of  Feysul, 
and  of  the  Wahabee  empire.  My  readers  may  be 
startled  to  learn  that  this  great  functionary  was  jet 
black,  a  negro  in  fact,  though  not  a  slave,  having  ob- 
tained his  freedom  from  Tnrkee,  the  father  of  the 
present  king.  He  was  tall,  and,  for  a  negro,  hand- 
some ;  about  forty-five  years  of  age,  splendidly 
dressed,  a  point  never  neglected  by  wealthy  Africans, 
whatever  be  their  theoretical  creed,  and  girt  with  a 
golden -hilted  sword.  'But,'  said  he,  'gold,  though 


ADVi:XTi'RE8  IN  RI'AD  231 

unlawful  if  forming  a  part  of  apparel  or  mere  orna- 
ment, may  be  employed  with  a  safe  conscience  in  dec- 
orating weapons.' 

"  After  ceremonies  and  coffee,  I  took  my  dusky  pa- 
tient into  the  consulting-room,  where,  by  dint  of 
questioning  and  surmise,  for  negroes  in  general  are 
much  less  clear  and  less  to  the  point  than  Arabs  in 
their  statements,  I  obtained  the  requisite  elucidation 
of  his  case.  The  malady,  though  painful,  was  fortu- 
nately one  admitting  of  simple  and  efficacious  treat- 
ment, so  that  I  was  able  on  the  spot  to  promise  him 
a  sensible  amendment  of  condition  within  a  fortnight, 
and  that  in  three  weeks'  time  he  should  be  in  plight 
to  undertake  his  journey  to  Bahreyn.  I  added  that 
with  so  distinguished  a  personage  I  could  not  think 
of  exacting  a  bargain  and  fixing  the  amount  of  fees; 
the  requital  of  my  care  should  be  left  to  his  generos- 
ity. He  then  took  leave,  and  was  re-conducted  to 
his  rooms  in  the  palace  by  his  fellow  blacks  of  less 
degree." 

The  next  visitor  was  Abd-el-Kereem,  of  the  oldest 
nobility  of  Xedjed,  related  to  the  ruling  family ;  a 
bitter  Wahabee,  a  strong,  intelligent,  bad,  and  dan- 
gerous man,  who  was  both  hated  and  feared  by  the 
people.  His  visit  was  a  distinction  for  Palgrave,  yet 
an  additional  danger.  The  latter,  however,  deter- 
mined to  draw  as  much  information  from  him  con- 
cerning Wahabee  doctrine  as  he  might  be  inclined  to 
give ;  and,  in  reality,  found  him  quite  communica- 
tive. One  day  Palgrave  asked  him  to  define  the 
difference  between  the  great  sins  and  the  little  ones 
— that  is,  those  to  be  punished  in  the  next  world,  or 


232  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

at  least  deserving  of  it,  and  those  whose  penalty  is 
remissible  in  this  life. 

"  Abd-el-Kereem  doubted  not  that  he  had  a  sin- 
cere scholar  before  him,  nor  would  refuse  his  hand 
to  a  drowning  man.  So,  putting  on  a  profound  air, 
and  with  a  voice  of  first-class  solemnity,  he  uttered 
his  oracle,  that  '  the  first  of  the  great  sins  is  the  giv- 
ing divine  honors  to  a  creature.'  A  hit,  I  may  ob- 
serve, at  ordinary  Mahometans,  whose  whole  doctrine 
of  intercession,  whether  vested  in  Mahomet  or  in 
'Alee,  is  classed  by  Wahabees  along  with  direct  and 
downright  idolatry.  A  Damascene  Shekli  would 
have  avoided  the  equivocation  by  answering,  '  infi- 
delity.v 

" '  Of  course,'  I  replied,  '  the  enormity  of  such  a 
sin  is  beyond  all  doubt.  But  if  this  be  the  first, 
there  must  be  a  second  ;  what  is  it  ? ' 

"  '  Drinking  the  shameful,'  in  English,  '  smoking 
tobacco,'  was  the  unhesitating  answer. 

"  '  And  murder,  and  adultery,  and  false  witness  ? ' 
I  suggested. 

"'God  is  merciful  and  forgiving,'  rejoined  my 
friend  ;  that  is,  these  are  merely  little  sins. 

" '  Hence  two  sins  alone  are  great,  polytheism  and 
smoking,'  I  continued,  though  hardly  able  to  keep 
countenance  any  longer.  And  Abd-el-Kereem,  with 
the  most  serious  asseveration,  replied  that  such  was 
really  the  case.  On  hearing  this,  I  proceeded  humbly 
to  entreat  my  friend  to  explain  to  me  the  especial 
wickedness  inherent  in  tobacco  leaves,  that  I  might 
the  more  detest  and  eschew  them  hereafter. 

"Accordingly  he  proceeded   to  instruct   me,  say- 


ADVENTURES  IN  RI'AD  233 

ing  that,  Firstly,  all  intoxicating  substances  are  pro- 
hibited by  the  Koran  ;  but  tobacco  is  an  intoxicating 
substance — ergo,  tobacco  is  prohibited. 

"  I  insinuated  that  it  was  not  intoxicating,  and  ap- 
pealed to  experience.  But,  to  my  surprise,  my  friend 
had  experience  too  on  his  side,  and  had  ready  at 
hand  the  most  appalling  tales  of  men  falling  down 
dead  drunk  after  a  single  whiff  of  smoke,  and  of 
others  in  a  state  of  bestial  and  habitual  ebriety  from 
its  use.  Nor  were  his  stories  so  purely  gratuitous 
as  many  might  at  first  imagine.  The  only  tobacco 
known,  when  known,  in  Southern  Nedjed,  is  that  of 
Oman,  a  very  powerful  species.  I  was  myself  aston- 
ished, and  almost  '  taken  in,'  more  than  once,  by  its 
extraordinary  narcotic  effects,  when  I  experienced 
them,  in  the  coffee-houses  of  Bahreyn." 

Palgrave  furnishes  a  tolerably  complete  account  of 
the  provinces  of  Nedjed  and  the  tribes  which  inhabit 
them.  His  concluding  statement,  however,  embodies 
all  which  will  interest  the  reader. 

"  To  sum  up,  we  may  say  that  the  Wahabee  em- 
pire is  a  compact  and  well-organized  government, 
where  centralization  is  fully  understood  and  effectu- 
ally carried  out,  and  whose  main-springs  and  connect- 
ing links  are  force  and  fanaticism.  There  exist  no 
constitutional  checks  either  on  the  king  or  on  his  sub- 
ordinates, save  what  the  necessity  of  circumstance  im- 
poses or  the  Koran  prescribes.  Its  atmosphere,  to 
speak  metaphorically,  is  sheer  despotism — moral,  in- 
tellectual, religious,  and  physical.  This  empire  is  ca- 
pable of  frontier  extension,  and  hence  is  dangerous 

to  its  neighbors,  some  of  whom  it  is  even  now  swal- 
10 


234  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

lowing  up,  and  will  certainly  swallow  more  if  not 
otherwise  prevented.  Incapable  of  true  internal  prog- 
ress, hostile  to  commerce,  unfavorable  to  arts  and 
even  to  agriculture,  and  in  the  highest  degree  intol- 
erant and  aggressive,  it  can  neither  better  itself  nor 
benefit  others ;  while  the  order  and  calm  which  it 
sometimes  spreads  over  the  lands  of  its  conquest  are 
described  in  the  oft-cited  Vbi  solitudinem  faciunt 
pacem  appellant  of  the  Roman  annalist. 

"  In  conclusion,  I  here  subjoin  a  numerical  list, 
taken  partly  from  the  government  registers  of  Ili'ad, 
partly  from  local  information,  and  containing  the 
provinces,  the  number,  of  the  principal  towns  or  vil- 
lages, the  population,  and  the  military  contingent, 
throughout  the  Wahabee  empire. 

Provinces.      Towns  or  villages.    Population.        Military  muster. 

L— 'Aared 15 110,000 6.000 

II.—  Yemamah 32 140,000 4.500 

in.—  Hareek 16 45,000 3,000 

IV.— Aflaj 12 14,000 1,200 

V.— Wady  Dowasir.  50 100,000 4,000 

VI.— Seley'yel 14 30,000 1.400 

VII.— Woshem 20 80,000 4,000 

VIII.— Sedeyr 25 140,000 5,200 

IX.— Kaseem 60 300.000 11,000 

X.— Hasa    50 160,000 7,000 

XI.— Kateef 22 100,000 

816  1,210,000  47,300" 

After  a  time,  Palgrave  was  sent  for  by  Abdallah, 
the  eldest  son  of  King  Feysul,  who  pretended  that 
he  wished  to  learn  something  of  the  medical  art. 
This  led  to  a  regular  intercourse,  which  at  least  en- 
abled the  traveller  to  learn  many  things  concerning 
the  Wahabee  government.  Another  important  re- 


ADVENTURES  IN  RI'AD  235 

milt  was  an  opportunity  of  visiting  the  royal  stables, 
where  the  finest  specimens  of  the  famous  Nedjed 
breed  of  horses  are  kept.  Of  these  he  gives  the  fol- 
lowing interesting  description  : 

"  The  stables  are  situated  some  way  out  of  the 
town,  to  the  northeast,  a  little  to  the  left  of  the  road 
which  we  had  followed  at  our  first  arrival,  and  not 
far  from  the  gardens  of  'Abd-er-Rahman  the  Waha- 

o 

bee.  They  cover  a  large  square  space,  about  150 
yards  each  way,  and  are  open  in  the  centre,  with  a 
long  shed  running  round  the  inner  walls  ;  under  this 
covering  the  horses,  about  three  hundred  in  number 
when  I  saw  them,  are  picketed  during  the  night ; 
in  the  daytime  they  may  stretch  their  legs  at  pleas- 
ure within  the  central  court-yard.  The  greater  num- 
ber were  accordingly  loose ;  a  few,  however,  were 
tied  up  at  their  stalls  ;  some,  but  not  many,  had 
horse-cloths  over  them.  The  heavy  dews  which  fall 
in  Wady  Haneefah  do  not  permit  their  remaining 
with  impunity  in  the  open  night  air  ;  I  was  told  also 
that  a  northerly  wind  will  occasionally  injure  the 
animals  here,  no  less  than  the  land  wind  does  now 
and  then  their  brethren  in  India.  About  half  the 
royal  stud  was  present  before  me,  the  rest  were  out 
at  grass ;  Feysul's  entire  muster  is  reckoned  at  six 
hundred,  or  rather  more. 

"No  Arab  dreams  of  tying  up  a  horse  by  the 
neck  ;  a  tether  replaces  the  halter,  and  one  of  the 
animal's  hind  legs  is  encircled  about  the  pastern  by  a 
light  iron  ring,  furnished  with  a  padlock,  and  con- 
nected with  an  iron  chain  of  two  feet  or  thereabouts 
in  length,  ending  in  a  rope,  which  is  fastened  to  the 


236  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

ground  at  some  distance  by  an  iron  peg  ;  such  is  the 
customary  method.  But  should  the  animal  be  rest- 
less and  troublesome,  a  foreleg  is  put  under  similar 
restraint.  It  is  well  known  that  in  Arabia  horses  are 
much  less  frequently  vicious  or  refractory  than  in 
Europe,  and  this  is  the  reason  why  geldings  are  here 
so  rare,  though  not  unknown.  No  particular  prej- 
udice, that  I  could  discover,  exists  against  the  opera- 
tion itself ;  only  it  is  seldom  performed,  because  not 
otherwise  necessary,  and  tending,  of  course,  to  dimin- 
ish the  value  of  the  animal. 

"  But  to  return  to  the  horses  now  before  us  ;  never 
had  I  seen  or  imagined  so  lovely  a  collection.  Their 
stature  was  indeed  somewhat  low ;  I  do  not  think 
that  any  came  fully  up  to  fifteen  hands ;  fourteen 
appeared  to  me  about  their  average,  but  they  were  so 
exquisitely  well  shaped  that  want  of  greater  size 
seemed  hardly,  if  at  all,  a  defect.  Remarkably  full 
in  the  haunches,  with  a  shoulder  of  a  slope  so  elegant 
as  to  make  one,  in  the  words  of  an  Arab  poet,  '  go 
raving  mad  about  it ; '  a  little,  a  very  little,  saddle- 
backed,  just  the  curve  which  indicates  springiness 
without  any  weakness ;  a  head  broad  above,  and 
tapering  down  to  a  nose  fine  enough  to  verify  the 
phrase  of  '  drinking  from  a  pint  pot,'  did  pint  pots 
exist  in  Nedjed  ;  a  most  intelligent  and  yet  a  singu- 
larly gentle  look,  full  eye,  sharp  thorn-like  little  ear, 
legs  fore  and  hind  that  seemed  as  if  made  of  ham- 
mered iron,  so  clean  and  yet  so  well  twisted  with 
sinew  ;  a  neat,  round  hoof,  just  the  requisite  for  hard 
ground ;  the  tail  set  on,  or  rather  thrown  out  at  a 
perfect  arch  ;  coats  smooth,  shining,  and  light,  the 


ADVENTURES  IN  lil'AD  237 

mane  long,  but  not  overgrown  nor  heavy,  and  an  air 
and  step  that  seemed  to  say,  '  Look  at  me,  am  I  not 
pretty  ?'  their  appearance  justified  all  reputation,  all 
value,  all  poetry.  The  prevailing  color  was  chestnut 
or  gray;  a  light  bay,  an  iron  color,  white  or  black, 
were  less  common  ;  full  bay,  flea-bitten  or  piebald, 
none.  But  if  asked  what  are,  after  all,  the  specially 
distinctive  points  of  the  Nedjee  horse,  I  should  reply, 
the  slope  of  the  shoulder,  the  extreme  cleanness  of 
the  shank,  and  the  full,  rounded  haunch,  though 
every  other  part,  too,  has  a  perfection  and  a  harmony 
unwitnessed  (at  least  by  my  eyes)  anywhere  else. 

'•  Xedjee  horses  are  especially  esteemed  for  great 
speed  and  endurance  of  fatigue;  indeed,  in  this  latter 
quality,  none  come  up  to  them.  To  pass  twenty- 
four  hours  on  the  road  without  drink  and  without 
flagging  is  certainly  something  ;  bnt  to  keep  up  the 
same  abstinence  and  labor  conjoined  under  the  burn- 
ing Arabian  sky  for  forty-eight  hours  at  a  stretch,  is, 
I  believe,  peculiar  to  the  animals  of  the  breed.  Be- 
sides, they  have  a  delicacy,  I  cannot  say  of  mouth, 
for  it  is  common  to  ride  them  without  bit  or  bridle, 
but  of  feeling  and  obedience  to  the  knee  and  thigh, 
to  the  slightest  check  of  the  halter  and  the  voice  of 
the  rider,  far  surpassing  whatever  the  most  elaborate 
manege  gives  a  European  horse,  though  furnished 
with  snaffle,  curb,  and  all.  I  often  mounted  them  at 
the  invitation  of  their  owners,  and  without  saddle, 
rein,  or  stirrup,  set  them  off  at  full  gallop,  wheeled 
them  round,  brought  them  np  in  mid  career  at  a 
dead  halt,  and  that  without  the  least  difficulty  or  the 
smallest  want  of  correspondence  between  the  horse's 


238  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

movements  and  my  own  will ;  the  rider  on  their  back 
really  feels  himself  the  man-half  of  a  centaur,  not  a 
distinct  being." 

During  the  last  week  in  November  the  Persian 
Na'ib,  who  had  been  little  edified  by  his  experiences 
in  Kedjed,  set  off  for  Bagdad.  In  the  meantime, 
Feysnl  had  made  great  preparations  toward  collect- 
ing an  army  for  the  reduction  of  the  city  of  Oney- 
zah  (near  Bereydah),  which  still  held  out  gallantly. 
Troops  were  summoned  from  the  eastern  coast  and 
the  adjoining  provinces,  and  Sa'ood,  the  second  son 
of  Feysul,  was  ordered  to  bring  them  together  at  the 
capital,  when  the  command  was  to  be  given  to  Abdal- 
lah,  the  eldest  son.  Palgrave  had  then  his  only  op- 
portunity of  seeing  the  old  King  of  the  Wahabees. 

"  Sa'ood  speedily  arrived,  and  with  him  about  two 
hundred  horsemen ;  the  rest  of  his  men,  more  than 
two  thousand,  were  mounted  on  camels.  "When  they 
entered  Bi'ad,  Feysul,  for  the  first  and  last  time  dur- 
ing our  stay,  gave  a  public  audience  at  the  palace 
gate.  It  was  a  scene  for  a  painter.  There  sat  the 
blind  old  tyrant,  corpulent,  decrepit,  yet  imposing, 
with  his  large,  broad  forehead,  white  beard,  and 
thoughtful  air,  clad  in  all  the  simplicity  of  a  Waha- 
bee  ;  the  gold-hafted  sword  at  his  side  his  only  orna- 
ment or  distinction.  Beside  him  the  ministers,  the 
officers  of  his  court,  and  a  crowd  of  the  nobler  and 
wealthier  citizens.  Abdallah,  the  heir  to  the  throne, 
was  alone  absent.  Up  came  Sa'ood  with  the  bear- 
ing of  a  hussar  officer,  richly  clad  in  cashmere 
shawls  and  a  gold-wrought  mantle,  while  man  by 
man  followed  his  red-dressed  cavaliers,  their  spears 


ADVENTURES  IN  RI'AD  239 

over  their  shoulders,  and  their  swords  hanging 
down  ;  a  musket,  too,  was  slung  behind  the  saddle 
of  each  warrior  ;  and  the  sharp  dagger  of  Hareek 
glittered  in  every  girdle.  Kext  came  the  common 
soldiers  on  camels  or  dromedaries,  some  with  spears 
only,  some  with  spears  and  guns,  till  the  wide  square 
was  filled  with  armed  men  and  gazing  spectators,  as 
the  whole  troop  drew  up  before  the  great  autocrat, 
and  Sa'ood  alighted  to  bend  and  kiss  his  father's 
hand.  '  God  save  Feysnl  !  God  give  the  victory  to 
the  armies  of  the  Muslims ! '  was  shouted  out  on 
every  side,  and  all  faces  kindled  into  the  fierce  smile 
of  concentrated  enthusiasm  and  conscious  strength. 
Feysnl  arose  from  his  seat  and  placed  his  son  at  his 
side ;  another  moment,  and  they  entered  the  castle 
together." 


CHAPTER  XY. 

PALGRAVE'S  TRAVELS—  HIS   ESCAPE   TO  THE  EASTERN 
COAST 


a  foreigner  to  enter  Ri'ad  is  not  always  easy, 
bnt  to  get  away  from  it  is  harder  still  ;  Rey- 
nard himself  would  have  been  justly  shy  of  venturing 
on  this  royal  cave.  There  exists  in  the  capital  of 
Nedjed  two  approved  means  of  barring  the  exit 
against  those  on  whom  mistrust  may  have  fallen. 
The  first  and  readiest  is  that  of  which  it  has  been 
emphatically  said,  Stone-dead  hath  no  fellow.  But 
should  circumstances  render  the  bonds  of  death  in- 
expedient, the  bonds  of  Hymen  and  a  Ri'ad  estab- 
lishment may  and  occasionally  do  supply  their  office. 
By  this  latter  proceeding,  the  more  amiable  of  the 
two,  Abdallah  resolved  to  enchain  us. 

"  Accordingly,  one  morryng  arrived  at  our  dwell- 
ing an  attendant  of  the  palace,  with  a  smiling  face, 
presage  of  some  good  in  reserve,  and  many  fair 
speeches.  After  inquiries  about  our  health,  comfort, 
well-being,  etc.,  lie  added  that  Abdallah  thought  \ve 
might  be  desirous  of  purchasing  this  or  that,  and 
begged  us  to  accept  of  a  small  present.  It  was  a 
fair  sum  of  money,  just  twice  so  much  as  the  ordi- 
nary token  of  good-will,  namely,  four  rials  in  place 
of  two.  After  which  the  messenger  took  his  leave. 


ESCAPE  FROM  RI'AD  241 

Aboo-'Eysa  had  been  present  at  the  interview :  '  Be 
on  the  look-out,'  said  he,  'there  is  something  wrong.' 

"  That  very  afternoon  Abdallah  sent  for  rne,  and 
with  abundance  of  encomiums  and  of  promises,  de- 
clared that  he  could  not  think  of  letting  Ki'ad  lose 
so  valuable  a  physician,  that  I  must  accordingly  take 
up  a  permanent  abode  in  the  capital,  where  I  might 
rely  on  his  patronage,  and  on  all  good  things  ;  that 
he  had  already  resolved  on  giving  me  a  house  and  a 
garden,  specifying  them,  with  a  suitable  household, 
and  a  fair  face  to  keep  me  company ;  he  concluded 
by  inviting  me  to  go  without  delay  and  see  whether 
the  new  abode  fitted  me,  and  take  possession. 

"  Much  and  long  did  I  fight  off ;  talked  about  a 
winter  visit  to  the  coast,  and  coming  back  in  the 
spring ;  tried  first  one  pretext  and  then  another ; 
but  none  would  avail,  and  Abdallah  continued  to  in- 
sist. To  quiet  him,  I  consented  to  go  and  see  the 
house.  For  the  intended  Calypso,  I  had  ready  an 
argument  derived  from  Mahometan  law,  which  put 
her  out  of  the  question,  but  its  explanation  would 
require  more  space  than  these  pages  can  afford. 

"  The  winter  season  was  now  setting  in  ;  it  was 
the  third  week  in  November ;  and  a  thunder-storm, 
the  first  we  had  witnessed  in  Central  Arabia,  ushered 
in  a  marked  change  for  cold  in  the  temperature  of 
Wady  Ilaneefah.  Rain  fell  abundantly,  and  sent 
torrents  down  the  dry  watercourses  of  the  valley, 
changing  its  large  hollows  into  temporary  tanks. 
None  of  the  streams  showed,  however,  any  disposi- 
tion to  reach  the  sea,  nor  indeed  could  they,  for  this 
part  of  Nedjed  is  entirely  hemmed  in  to  the  east  by 


242          ,  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

the  Toweyk  range.  The  inhabitants  welcomed  the 
copious  showers,  pledges  of  fertility  for  the  coming 
year,  while  at  'Oneyzah  the  same  rains  produced  at 
least  one  excellent  effect,  but  which  I  may  well  defy 
my  readers  to  guess.  The  hostile  armies,  com- 
manded  by  Zamil  and  Mohammed-ebn-Sa'ood,  were 
drawn  up  in  face  of  each  other,  and  on  the  point  of 
fierce  conflict,  when  the  storm  burst  on  them,  and  by 
putting  out  the  lighted  matchlocks  of  either  party, 
prevented  the  discharge  of  bullets  and  the  effusion 
of  blood." 

Abdallah,  who  hated  his  second  brother,  Sa'ood, 
and  had  many  other  fierce  enmities  in  the  capital, 
then  accidentally  learned  that  Palgrave  had  employed 
a  deadly  poison  (strychnine)  in  making  a  remarkable 
cure.  Thenceforth  all  his  powers  of  persuasion  were 
employed  in  endeavoring  to  procure  some  of  the 
drug  ;  but  Palgrave,  suspecting  his  real  design,  posi- 
tively refused  to  let  him  have  any.  His  rage  was 
suddenly  and  strongly  expressed  on  his  countenance, 
foreboding  no  good  to  the  traveller,  who  took  the 
first  opportunity  of  returning  to  his  house. 

"There  Aboo-'Eysa,  Barakat,  and  myself,"  he 
says,  "immediately  held  council  to  consider  what 
was  now  to  be  done.  That  an  outbreak  must  shortly 
take  place  seemed  certain  ;  to  await  it  was  dangerous, 
yet  we  could  not  safely  leave  the  town  in  an  over- 
precipitate  manner,  nor  without  some  kind  of  per- 
mission. We  resolved  together  to  go  on  in  quiet 
and  caution  a  few  days  more,  to  sound  the  court, 
make  our  adieus  at  Feysul's  palace,  get  a  good  word 
from  Mahboob  (no  difficult  matter),  and  then  slip  off 


ESCAPE  FROM  RI'AD  243 

without  attracting  too  much  notice.  But  our  destiny 
was  not  to  run  so  smoothly.'' 

Late  in  the  evening  of  November  21st,  Palgrave 

O  '  O 

was  summoned  to  Abdallah's  palace.  The  messenger 
refused  to  allow  Barakat  or  Aboo-'Eysa  to  accompany 
liim.  The  occasion  seemed  portentous,  but  disobe- 
dience was  out  of  the  question.  Palgrave  followed 
the  messenger.  On  entering  the  reception-room,  he 
found  Abdallah,  Abd-el-Lateef,  the  successor  of  the 
Wahabee,  JVIahboob,  and  a  few  others.  All  were  si- 
lent, and  none  returned  his  first  salutation.  "  I  sa- 
luted Abdallah,"  says  Palgrave,  "  who  replied  in  an 
undertone,  and  gave  me  a  signal  to  sit  down  at  a  little 
distance  from  him,  but  on  the  same  side  of  the  divan. 
My  readers  may  suppose  that  I  was  not  at  the  mo- 
ment ambitious  of  too  intimate  a  vicinity. 

"After  an  interval  of  silence,  Abdallah  turned 
half  round  toward  me,  and  with  his  blackest  look  and 
a  deep  voice  said,  '  I  now  know  perfectly  well  what 
you  are ;  you  are  no  doctors,  you  are  Christians, 
spies,  and  revolutionists,  come  hither  to  ruin  our  re- 
ligion and  state  in  behalf  of  those  who  sent  you. 
The  penalty  for  such  as  you  is  death,  that  you  know, 
and  I  am  determined  to  inflict  it  without  delay.' 

"  '  Threatened  folks  live  long,'  thought  I,  and  had 
no  difficulty  in  showing  the  calm  which  I  really  felt. 
So  looking  him  coolly  in  the  face,  I  replied,  'Istagh- 
fir  Allah]  literally,  '  Ask  pardon  of  God.'  This  is 
the  phrase  commonly  addressed  to  one  who  has  said 
something  extremely  out  of  place. 

"  The  answer  was  unexpected :  he  started,  and 
said,  <  Why  so  ? ' 


244  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

"  '  Because,'  I  rejoined,  'you  have  just  now  uttered 
a  sheer  absurdity.  "  Christians,"  be  it  so ;  but  "  spies," 
"revolutionists" — as  if  we  were  not  known  by  every- 
body in  your  town  for  quiet  doctors,  neither  more  nor 
less  !  And  then  to  talk  about  putting  ine  to  death  ! 
You  cannot,  and  you  dare  not.' 

"  '  But  I  can  and  dare,'  answered  Abdallah,  l  and 
who  shall  prevent  me  ?  You  shall  soon  learn  that  to 
your  cost.' 

"  '  Neither  can  nor  dare,'  repeated  I.  '  We  are 
here  your  father's  guests,  and  yours  for  a  month  and 
more,  known  as  such,  received  as  such.  What  have 
we  done  to  justify  a  breach  of  the  laws  of  hospitality 
in  Nedjed  ?  It  is  impossible  for  you  to  do  what  you 
say,'  continued  I,  thinking  the  while  that  it  was  a 
great  deal  too  possible,  after  all ;  '  the  obloquy  of  the 
deed  would  be  too  much  for  you.' 

"  He  remained  a  moment  thoughtful,  then  said, 
1  As  if  anyone  need  know  who  did  it.  I  have  the 
means,  and  can  dispose  of  you  without  talk  or  rumor. 
Those  who  are  at  my  bidding  can  take  a  suitable  time 
and  place  for  that,  without  my  name  being  ever  men- 
tioned in  the  affair.' 

"  The  advantage  was  now  evidently  on  my  side ;  I 
followed  it  up,  and  said  with  a  quiet  laugh,  '  Neither 
is  that  within  your  power.  Am  I  not  known  to  your 
father,  to  all  in  his  palace  ?  to  your  own  brother  Sa'- 
ood  among  the  rest  ?  Is  not  the  fact  of  this  my  ac- 
tual visit  to  you  known  without  your  gates  ?  Or  is 
there  no  one  here  ? '  added  I,  with  a  glance  at  Mah- 
boob,  '  who  can  report  elsewhere  what  you  have 
just  now  said?  Better  for  you  to  leave  off  this 


ESCAPE  FROM  RI  'AD  245 

nonsense  ;  do  you  take  me  for  a  child  of  four  days 
old?' 

"  He  muttered  a  repetition  of  his  threat.  '  Bear 
witness,  all  here  present,'  said  I,  raising  iny  voice  so 
as  to  be  heard  from  one  end  of  the  room  to  the 
other,  '  that  if  any  mishap  befalls  my  companion  or 
myself  f roin  Ri'ad  to  the  shores  of  the  Persian  Gulf, 
it  is  all  Abdallah's  doing.  And  the  consequences 
shall  be  on  his  head,  worse  consequences  than  he  ex- 
pects or  dreams.' 

"  The  prince  made  no  reply.  All  were  silent ; 
Mahboob  kept  his  eyes  steadily  fixed  on  the  fire- 
place ;  'Abd-el-Lateef  looked  much  and  said  nothing. 

"'Bring  coffee,' called  out  Abdallah  to  the  ser- 
vants. Before  a  minute  had  elapsed,  a  black  slave 
approached  with  one,  and  only  one,  coffee-cup  in  his 
hand.  At  a  second  sign  from  his  master  he  came  be- 
fore me  and  presented  it. 

"  Of  course  the  worst  might  be  conjectured  of  so 
unusual  and  solitary  a  draught.  But  I  thought  it 
highly  improbable  that  matters  should  have  been  so 
accurately  prepared  ;  besides,  his  main  cause  of  anger 
was  precisely  the  refusal  of  poisons,  a  fact  which  im- 
plied that  he  had  none  by  him  ready  for  use.  So  I 
said  '  JBismiUah?  took  the  cup,  looked  very  hard  at 
Abdallah,  drank  it  off,  and  then  said  to  the  slave, 
'  Pour  me  out  a  second.'  This  he  did  ;  I  swallowed 
it,  and  said,  *  Now  you  may  take  the  cup  away.' 

"  The  desired  effect  was  fully  attained.  Abd- 
allah's face  announced  defeat,  while  the  rest  of  the 
assembly  whispered  together.  The  prince  turned  to 
'Abd-el-Lateef  and  began  talking  about  the  dangers 


246  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

to  which  the  land  was  exposed  from  spies,  and  the 
wicked  designs  of  infidels  for  ruining  the  kingdom 
of  the  Muslims.  The  Kadee  and  his  companions 
chimed  in,  and  the  story  of  a  pseudo  -  Darweesh 
traveller  killed  at  Derey'eeyah,  and  of  another  (but 
who  he  was  I  cannot  fancy  ;  perhaps  a  Persian,  who 
had,  said  Abdallah,  been  also  recognized  for  an  in- 
triguer, but  had  escaped  to  Muscat,  and  thus  baffled 
the  penalty  due  to  his  crimes),  were  now  brought 
forward  and  commented  on.  Mahboob  now  at  last 
epoke,  but  it  was  to  ridicule  such  apprehensions. 
'  The  thing  is  in  itself  unlikely,'  said  he,  '  and  were 
it  so,  what  harm  could  they  do  ? '  alluding  to  my 
companion  and  myself. 

"  On  this  I  took  up  the  word,  and  a  general  con- 
versation ensued,  in  which  I  did  my  best  to  explode 
the  idea  of  spies  and  spymanship,  appealed  to  our 
own  quiet  and  inoffensive  conduct,  got  into  a  virtu- 
ous indignation  against  such  a  requital  of  evil  for 
good  after  all  the  services  which  we  had  rendered 
court  and  town,  and  quoted  verses  of  the  Koran  re- 
garding the  wickedness  of  ungrounded  suspicion,  and 
the  obligation  of  not  judging  ill  without  clear  evi- 
dence. Abdallah  made  no  direct  answer,  and  the 
others,  whatever  they  may  have  thought,  could  not 
support  a  charge  abandoned  by  their  master. 

"  What  amused  me  not  a  little  was  that  the  Wa- 
habee  prince  had  after  all  very  nearly  hit  the  right 
nail  on  the  head,  and  that  I  was  snubbing  him  only 
for  having  guessed  too  well.  But  there  was  no  help 
for  it,  and  I  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  that,  though 
at  heart  unchanged  in  his  opinion  about  us,  he  was 


ESCAPE  FROM  RI  'AD  247 

yet  snfficienty  cowed  to  render  a  respite  certain,  and 
our  escape  thereby  practicable. 

"  This  kind  of  talk  continued  a  while,  and  I  pur- 
posely kept  my  seat,  to  show  the  unconcern  of  inno- 
cence, till  Mahboob  made  me  a  sign  that  I  might 
safely  retire.  On  this  I  took  leave  of  Abdallah  and 
quitted  the  palace  unaccompanied.  It  was  now  near 
midnight,  not  a  light  to  be  seen  in  the  houses,  not  a 
sound  to  be  heard  in  the  streets ;  the  sky  too  was 
dark  and  overcast,  till,  for  the  first  time,  a  feeling  of 
lonely  dread  came  over  me,  and  I  confess  that  more 
than  once  I  turned  my  head  to  look  and  see  if  no 
one  was  following  with  '  evil,'  as  Arabs  say,  in  his 
hand.  But  there  was  none,  and  I  reached  the  quiet 
alley  and  low  door  where  a  gleam  through  the  chinks 
announced  the  anxious  watch  of  my  companions,  who 
now  opened  the  entrance,  overjoyed  at  seeing  me 
back  sound  and  safe  from  so  critical  a  parley. 

.  "  Our  plan  for  the  future  was  soon  formed.  A  day 
or  two  we  were  yet  to  remain  in  Ri'ad,  lest  haste 
should  seem  to  imply  fear,  and  thereby  encourage 
pursuit.  But  during  that  period  we  would  avoid 
the  palace,  out-walks  in  gardens  or  after  nightfall, 
and  keep  at  home  as  much  as  possible.  Meanwhile 
Aboo-'Eysa  was  to  get  his  dromedaries  ready,  and 
put  them  in  a  courtyard  immediately  adjoining  the 
house,  to  be  laden  at  a  moment's  notice. 

>;  A  band  of  travellers  was  to  leave  Ri'ad  for  Hasa 
a  few  days  later.  Aboo-'Eysa  gave  out  publicly  that 
he  would  accompany  them  to  Hofhoof,  while  we  were 
supposed  to  intend  following  the  northern  or  Sedeyr 

track,  by  which  the  Na'ib,  after  many  reciprocal  fare- 


248  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

wells  and  assurances  of  lasting  friendship,  should  we 
ever  meet  again,  had  lately  departed.  Mobevreek,  a 
black  servant  in  Aboo-'Ejsa's  pay,  occupied  himself 
diligently  in  feeding  up  the  camels  for  their  long 
inarch  with  clover  and  vetches,  both  abundant  here  ; 
and  we  continued  our  medical  avocations,  but  quietly, 
and  without  much  leaving  the  house. 

"  During  the  afternoon  of  the  24th  we  brought 
three  of  Aboo-'Eysa's  camels  into  our  courtyard,  shut 
the  outer  door,  packed,  and  laded.  "We  then  awaited 
the  moment  of  evening  prayer  ;  it  came,  and  the 
voice  of  the  Mu'eddineen  summoned  all  good  Waha- 
bees,  the  men  of  the  town-guard  not  excepted,  to  the 
different  mosques.  When  about  ten  minutes  had 
gone  by,  and  all  might  be  supposed  at  their  prayers, 
we  opened  our  door.  Mobeyreek  gave  a  glance  up 
and  down  the  street  to  ascertain  that  no  one  was  in 
sight,  and  we  led  out  the  camels.  Aboo-'Eysa  accom- 
panied us.  Avoiding  the  larger  thoroughfares,  we 
took  our  way  by  by-lanes  and  side-passages  toward  a 
small  town-gate,  the  nearest  to  our  house,  and  open- 
ing on  the  north.  A  late  comer  fell  in  with  us  on 
his  way  to  the  Mesjid,  and  as  he  passed  summoned 
us  also  to  the  public  service.  But  Aboo-'Eysa  unhes- 
itatingly replied,  '  We  have  this  moment  come  from 
prayers,' and  our  interlocutor,  fearing  to  be  .himself 
too  late  and  thus  to  fall  under  reprehension  and  pun- 
ishment, rushed  off  to  the  nearest  oratory,  leaving  the 
road  clear.  Nobody  was  in  watch  at  the  gate.  We 
crossed  its  threshold,  turned  southeast,  and  under  the 
rapid  twilight  reached  a  range  of  small  hillocks,  be- 
hind which  we  sheltered  ourselves  till  the  stars  came 


ESCAPE  FROM  HI  'AD  249 

out,  and  the  *  wing  of  night,'  to  quote  Arab  poets, 
spread  black  over  town  and  country. 

"  So  far  so  good.  But  further  difficulties  remained 
before  us.  It  was  now  more  than  ever  absolutely  es- 
sential to  get  clear  of  Xedjed  unobserved,  to  put  the 
desert  between  us  and  the  "Wahabee  court  and  capi- 
tal ;  and  no  less  necessary  was  it  that  Aboo-'Eysa,  so 
closely  connected  as  he  was  with  Ri'ad  and  its  gov- 
ernment, should  seem  nohow  implicated  in  our  un- 
ceremonious departure,  nor  any  way  concerned  with 
our  onward  movements.  In  a  word,  an  apparent  sep- 
aration of  paths  between  him  and  us  was  necessary 
before  we  could  again  come  together  and  complete 
the  remainder  of  our  explorations. 

"  In  order  to  manage  this,  and  while  ensuring  our 
own  safety  to  throw  a  little  dust  in  Wahabee  eyes,  it 
was  agreed  that  before  next  morning's  sunrise  Aboo- 
'Eysa  should  return  to  the  town,  and  to  his  dwelling, 
as  though  nothing  had  occurred,  and  should  there 
await  the  departure  of  the  great  merchant  caravan, 
mentioned  previously,  and  composed  mainly  of  men 
from  Hasa  and  Ivateef,  now  bound  for  Hofhoof. 
This  assemblage  was  expected  to  start  within  three 
days  at  latest.  Meanwhile  our  friend  should  take  care 
to  show  himself  openly  in  the  palaces  of  Feysul  and 
Abdallah,  and  if  asked  about  us  should  answer 
vaguely,  with  the  off-hand  air  of  one  who  had  no 
further  care  regarding  ns.  We  ourselves  should  in 
the  interim  make  the  best  of  our  way,  with  Mobey- 
reek  for  guide,  to  Wady  Soley',  and  there  remain 
concealed  in  a  given  spot,  till  Aboo-'Eysa  should 
come  and  pick  us  up. 


250  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

"  All  this  was  arranged  ;  at  break  of  dawn,  Aboo- 
'Eysa  took  his  leave,  and  Barakat,  Mobeyreek,  and 
myself  were  once  more  high-perched  on  our  dromeda- 
ries, their  heads  turned  to  the  southeast,  keeping  the 
hillock  range  between  us  and  Ri'ad,  which  we  saw  no 
more.  Our  path  led  us  over  low  undulating  ground, 
a  continuation  of  Wady  Haneefah,  till  after  about 
four  hours'  march  we  were  before  the  gates  of  Man- 
foohah,  a  considerable  town,  surrounded  by  gardens 
nothing  inferior  in  extent  and  fertility  to  those  of 
Ri'ad ;  but  its  fortifications,  once  strong,  have  long 
since  been  dismantled  and  broken  down  by  the  jeal- 
ousy of  the  neighboring  capital. 

After  winding  here  and  there,  we  reached  the  spot 
assigned  by  Aboo-'Eysa  for  our  hiding-place.  It  was 
a  small  sandy  depth,  lying  some  M*ay  off  the  beaten 
track,  amid  hillocks  and  brushwood,  and  without 
water ;  of  this  latter  article  we  had  taken  enough  in 
the  goat-skins  to  last  us  for  three  days.  Here  we 
halted,  and  made  up  our  minds  to  patience  and  ex- 
pectation. 

"  Two  days  passed  drearily  enough.  We  could  not 
but  long  for  our  guide's  arrival,  nor  be  wholly  with- 
out fear  on  more  than  one  score.  Once  or  twice  a 
stray  peasant  stumbled  on  us,  and  was  much  sur- 
prised at  our  encampment  in  so  droughty  a  locality. 
So  the  hours  went  by,  till  the  third  day  brought  closer 
expectation  and  anxiety,  still  increasing  while  the  sun 
declined,  and  at  last  went  down ;  yet  nobody  ap- 
peared. But  just  as  darkness  closed  in,  and  we  were 
sitting  in  a  dispirited  group  beside  our  little  fire,  for 
the  night  air  blew  chill,  Aboo-'Eysa  came  suddenly 


ESCAPE  FROM  HI 'AD  251 

up,  and  all  was  changed  for  question  and  answer,  for 
cheerfulness  and  laughter. 

"  Early  on  November  28th  we  resumed  our  march 
through  a  light  valley-mist,  and  soon  fell  in  with  our 
companions  of  the  road. 

"  Next  morning  the  whole  country,  hill  and  dale, 
trees  and  bushes,  was  wrapped  in  a  thick  blanket  of 
mist,  fitter  for  Surrey  than  for  Arabia.  So  dense 
was  the  milky  fog,  that  we  fairly  lost  our  way,  and 
went  on  at  random,  shouting  and  hallooing,  driving 
our  beasts  now  here,  now  there,  over  broken  ground 
and  amid  tangling  shrubs,  till  the  sun  gained  strength 
and  the  vapor  cleared  off,  showing  us  the  path  at 
some  distance  on  our  right.  Before  we  had  followed 
it  far,  we  saw  a  black  mass  advancing  from  the  east 
to  meet  us.  It  was  the  first  division  of  the  Hasa 
troops  on  their  way  to  Iti'ad  ;  they  were  not  less  than 
four  or  five  hundred  in  number.  Like  true  Arabs, 
they  marched  with  a  noble  contempt  of  order  and 
discipline  —  walking,  galloping,  ambling,  singing, 
shouting,  alone  or  in  bands,  as  fancy  led.  We  inter- 
changed a  few  words  of  greeting  with  these  brisk 
boys,  who  avowed,  without  hesitation  or  shame,  that 
they  should  much  have  preferred  to  stay  at  home, 
and  that  enforced  necessity,  not  any  military  or  re- 
ligious ardor,  was  taking  them  to  the  field.  We 
laughed,  and  wished  them  Zamil's  head,  or  him 
theirs,  whereon  they  laughed  also,  shouted,  and 
passed  on. 

"  On  we  went,  but  through  a  country  of  much 
more  varied  scenery  than  what  we  had  traversed  the 
day  before,  enjoying  the  'pleasure  situate  in  hill  and 


252  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

dale,'  till  we  arrived  at  the  foot  of  a  high  white  cliff, 
almost  like  that  of  Dover ;  but  these  crags,  instead 
of  having  the  sea  at  their  foot,  overlooked  a  wide 
valley  full  of  trees,  and  bearing  traces  of  many  vio- 
lent winter  torrents  from  east  to  west ;  none  were 
now  flowing.  Here  we  halted,  and  passed  an  indif- 
ferent night,  much  annoyed  by  'chill  November's 
surly  blast,'  hardly  less  ungenial  here  than  on  the 
banks  of  Ayr,  though  sweeping  over  a  latitude  of 
25°,  not  56°. 

"Before  the  starlight  had  faded  from  the  cold 
morning  sky,  we  were  up  and  in  movement,  for  a 
long  march  was  before  us.  At  sunrise  we  stood  on 
the  last,  and  here  the  highest,  ledge  of  Toweyk,  that 
long  chalky  wall  which  bounds  and  backs  up  Ked- 
jed  on  the  east ;  beyond  is  the  desert,  and  then  the 
coast. 

"  After  about  three  hours  of  level  route  we  began 
to  descend,  not  rapidly,  but  by  degrees,  and  at  noon 
we  reached  a  singular  depression,  a  huge  natural 
basin,  hollowed  out  in  the  limestone  rock,  with 
tracks  resembling  deep  trenches  leading  to  it  from 
every  side.  At  the  bottom  of  this  crater-like  valley 
were  a  dozen  or  more  wells,  so  abundant  in  their 
supply  that  they  not  unfrequently  overflow  the  whole 
space,  and  form  a  small  lake  ;  the  water  is  clear  and 
good,  but  no  other  is  to  be  met  with  on  the  entire 
line  hence  to  Hasa. 

"  For  the  rest  of  the  day  we  continued  steadily  to 
descend  the  broad  even  slope,  whose  extreme  bar- 
renness and  inanimate  monotony  reminded  me  of  the 
pebbly  uplands  near  Ma'an  on  the  opposite  side  of 


ESCAPE  FROM  HI 'AD  253 

the  peninsula,  traversed  by  us  exactly  seven  months 
before.  The  sun  set,  night  came  on,  and  many  of 
the  travellers  would  gladly  have  halted,  but  Aboo- 
'Eysa  insisted  on  continuing  the  march.  We  were 
now  many  hundred  feet  lower  than  the  crest  behind 
us,  and  the  air  felt  warm  and  heavy,  when  we  no- 
ticed that  the  ground,  hitherto  hard  beneath  our  feet, 
was  changing  step  by  step  into  a  light  sand,  that 
seemed  to  encroach  on  the  rocky  soil.  It  was  at 
first  a  shallow  ripple,  then  deepened,  and  before  long 
presented  the  well-known  ridges  and  undulations 
characteristic  of  the  land  ocean  when  several  fath- 
oms in  depth.  Our  beasts  ploughed  laboriously  on 
through  the  yielding  surface ;  the  night  was  dark, 
but  starry,  and  we  could  just  discern  amid  the  shade 
a  white  glimmer  of  spectral  sand-hills,  rising  around 
us  on  every  side,  but  no  track  or  indication  of  a 
route. 

"It  was  the  great  Dahna,  or 'Red  Desert,'  the 
bugbear  of  even  the  wandering  Bedouin,  and  never 
traversed  by  ordinary  wayfarers  without  an  appre- 
hension which  has  too  often  been  justified  by  fatal 
incidents.  So  light  are  the  sands,  so  capricious  the 
breezes  that  shape  and  reshape  them  daily  into  un- 
stable hills  and  valleys,  that  no  traces  of  preceding 
travellers  remain  to  those  who  follow  ;  while  intense 
heat  and  glaring  light  reflected  on  all  sides  combine 
with  drought  and  weariness  to  confuse  and  bewilder 
the  adventurer,  till  he  loses  his  compass  and  wanders 
up  and  down  at  random  amid  a  waste  solitude  which 
soon  becomes  his  grave.  Many  have  thus  perished  ; 
even  whole  caravans  have  been  known  to  disappear 


954  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

in  the  Dahlia  without  a  vestige,  till  the  wild  Arab 
tales  of  demons  carrying  off  wanderers,  or  ghouls  • 
devouring  them,  obtain  a  half  credit  among  many 
accustomed  elsewhere  to  laugh  at  such  fictions. 

"  For,  after  about  three  hours  of  night  travelling, 
or  rather  wading,  among  the  sand-waves,  till  men 
and  beasts  alike  were  ready  to  sink  for  weariness,  a 
sharp  altercation  arose  between  Aboo-'Eysa  and  El- 
Ghannam,  each  proposing  a  different  direction  of 
march.  We  all  halted  a  moment,  and  raised  our 
eyes,  heavy  with  drowsiness  and  fatigue,  as  if  to  see 
which  of  the  contending  parties  was  in  the  right.  It 
will  be  long  before  I  forget  the  impression  of  that 
moment.  Above  us  was  the  deep  black  sky,  span- 
gled with  huge  stars  of  a  brilliancy  denied  to  all  but 
an  Arab  gaze,  while  what  is  elsewhere  a  ray  of  the 
third  magnitude  becomes  here  of  the  first  amid  the 

o 

pure  vacuum  of  a  mistless,  vaporless  air ;  around  us 
loomed  high  ridges,  shutting  us  in  before  and  behind 
with  their  white,  ghost-like  outlines ;  below  our  feet 
the  lifeless  sand,  and  everywhere  a  silence  that 
seemed  to  belong  to  some  strange  and  dreamy  world 
where  man  might  not  venture. 

"  When  not  far  from  the  midmost  of  the  Dahna,  we 
fell  in  with  a  few  Bedouins,  belonging  to  the  Aal- 
Morrah  clan,  sole  tenants  of  this  desert.  They  were 
leading  their  goats  to  little  spots  of  scattered  herbage 
and  shrubs  which  here  and  there  fix  a  precarious  ex- 
istence in  the  hollows  of  the  sands. 

"  Theirs  is  the  great  desert  from  Nedjed  to  Had- 
ramaut.  Not  that  they  actually  cover  this  immense 
space,  a  good  fourth  of  the  peninsula,  but  that  they 


ESCAPE  FROM:  WAD  255 

have  the  free  and  undisputed  range  of  the  oases 
which  it  occasionally  offers,  where  herbs,  shrubs,  and 
dwarf -palms  cluster  round  some  well  of  scant  and 
briny  water.  These  oases  are  sufficiently  numerous 
to  preserve  a  stray  Bedouin  or  two  from  perishing, 
though  not  enough  so  to  become  landmarks  for  any 
regular  route  across  the  central  Dahna,  from  the 
main  body  of  which  runs  out  the  long  and  broad  arm 
which  we  were  now  traversing. 

"  Another  night's  bivouac,  and  then  again  over  the 
white  down-sloping  plain. 

"It  was  now  three  days  and  a  half  since  our  last 
supply  of  water,  and  Aboo-'Eysa  was  anxious  to 
reach  the  journey's  end  without  delay.  As  darkness 
closed  around  we  reached  the  farthermost  heights  of 
the  coast-range  of  Hasa.  Hence  we  overlooked  the 
plains  of  Hasa,  but  could  distinguish  nothing  through 
the  deceptive  rays  of  the  rising  moon  ;  we  seemed  to 
gaze  into  a  vast  milky  ocean.  After  an  hour's  halt 
for  supper  we  wandered  on,  now  up,  now  down,  over 
pass  and  crag,  till  a  long,  corkscrew  descent  down  the 
precipitous  sea-side  of  the  mountain,  for  a  thousand 
feet  or  near  it,  placed  us  fairly  upon  the  low  level  of 
Hasa,  and  within  the  warm,  damp  air  of  the  sea- 
coast. 

"  The  ground  glimmered  white  to  the  moon,  and 
gave  a  firm  footing  to  our  dromedaries,  who,  by  their 
renewed  agility,  seemed  to  partake  in  the  joy  of 
their  riders,  and  to  understand  that  rest  was  near. 
We  were,  in  fact,  all  so  eager  to  find  ourselves  at 
home  and  homestead,  that  although  the  town  of 
Hofhoof,  our  destined  goal,  was  yet  full  fifteen  miles 


256  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

to  the  northeast,  we  pressed  on  for  the  capital.  And 
there,  in  fact,  we  should  have  all  arrived  in  a  body 
before  day-dawn,  had  not  a  singular  occurrence  re- 
tarded by  far  the  greater  number  of  our  companions. 
"  Soon  after,  the  crags  in  our  rear  had  shut  out, 
perhaps  for  years,  perhaps  forever,  the  desert  and 
Central  Arabia  from  our  view,  while  before  and 
around  us  lay  the  indistinct  undulations  and  uncer- 
tain breaks  of  the  great  Hasa  plain,  when  on  a  slop- 
ing bank  at  a  short  distance  in  front  we  discerned 
certain  large  black  patches,  in  strong  contrast  with 
the  w-hite  glister  of  the  soil  around,  and  at  the  same 
time  our  attention  was  attracted  by  a  strange  whiz- 
zing like  that  of  a  flight  of  hornets,  close  along  the 
ground,  while  our  dromedaries  capered  and  started 
as  though  struck  with  sudden  insanity.  The  cause 
of  all  this  was  a  vast  swarm  of  locusts,  here  alighted 

»  o 

in  their  northerly  wanderings  from  their  birthplace 
in  the  Dahna  ;  their  camp  extended  far  and  wide, 
and  we  had  already  disturbed  their  outposts.  These 
insects  are  wont  to  settle  on  the  ground  after  sunset, 
and  there,  half  stupefied  by  the  night  chill,  to  await 
the  morning  rays,  which  warm  them  once  more  into 
life  and  movement.  This  time  our  dromedaries  did 
the  work  of  the  sun,  and  it  would  be  hard  to  say 
which  of  the  two  were  the  most  frightened,  they  or 
the  locusts.  It  was  truly  laughable  to  see  so  huge  a 
beast  lose  his  wits  for  fear  at  the  flight  of  a  harmless, 
stingless  insect ;  of  all  timid  creatures  none  equals 
the  *  ship  of  the  desert'  for  cowardice. 

"  The  swarm  now  before  us  was  a  thorough  god- 
send for  our  Arabs,  on  no  account  to  be  neglected. 


ESCAPE  FROM  RI'AD  257 

Thirst,  weariness,  all  was  forgotten,  and  down  the 
riders  leapt  from  their  starting  camels ;  this  one 
spread  out  a  cloak,  that  one  a  saddle-bag,  a  third 
his  shirt,  over  the  unlucky  creatures  destined  for  the 
morrow's  meal.  Some  flew  away  whirring  across 
our  feet,  others  were  caught  and  tied  up  in  cloths 
and  sacks.  Cornish  wreckers  at  work  about  a  shat- 
tered East  Indiaman  would  be  beaten  by  Ghannam 
and  his  companions  with  the  locusts.  However, 
Barakat  and  myself  felt  no  special  interest  in  the 
chase,  nor  had  we  much  desire  to  turn  our  dress  and 
accoutrements  into  receptacles  for  living  game. 
Luckily  Aboo-'Eysa  still  retained  enough  of  his 
North  Syrian  education  to  be  of  our  mind  also.  Ac- 
cordingly we  left  our  associates  hard  at  work,  turned 
our  startled  and  still  unruly  dromedaries  in  the  di- 
rection of  II  of  hoof,  and  set  off  full  speed  over  the 
plain. 

"  It  was  not  till  near  morning  that  we  saw  before 
us  in  indistinct  row  the  lono;  black  lines  of  the  im- 

o 

mense  date-groves  that,  surround  Ilofhoof.  Then, 
winding  on  arnid  rice-grounds  and  cornfields,  we  left 
on  our  right  an  isolated  fort  (to  be  described  by  day- 
light), passed  some  scattered  villas,  with  their  gardens, 
approached  the  ruined  town  walls,  and  entered  the 
southern  gate,  now  open  and  unguarded.  Farther 
on  a  few  streets  brought  us  before  the  door  of  Aboo- 
'Eysa's  house,  our  desired  resting-place. 

"  It  was  still  night.  All  was  silent  in  the  street 
and  house,  at  the  entrance  of  which  we  now  stood  ; 
indeed,  none  but  the  master  of  a  domicile  could 
think  of  knocking  at  such  an  hour,  nor  was  Aboo- 


258  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

'Eysa  expected  at  that  precise  moment.  With  much 
difficulty  he  contrived  to  awake  the  tenants ;  next 
the  shrill  voice  of  the  lady  was  heard  within  in  ac- 
cents of  joy  and  welcome ;  the  door  at  last  opened, 
and  Aboo-'Eysa  invited  us  into  a  dark  passage, 
where  a  gas-light  would  have  been  a  remarkable  im- 
provement, and  by  this  ushered  us  into  the  k'liawali. 
Here  we  lighted  a  fire,  and  after  a  hasty  refreshment 
all  lay  down  to  sleep,  nor  awoke  till  the  following 
forenoon." 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

PALGRAVE'S  TRAVELS— EASTERN  ARABIA 

"/"~\UR  stay  at  Ilofhoof  was  very  pleasant  and  in- 
V_x  teresting,  not  indeed  through  personal  inci- 
dents and  hairbreadth  escapes — of  which  we  had  our 
fair  portion  at  Ri'ad  and  elsewhere — but  in  the  in- 
formation here  acquired,  and  in  the  novel  character 
of  everything  around  us,  whether  nature,  art,  or  man. 
Aboo-'Eysa  was  very  anxious  that  we  should  see  as 
much  as  possible  of  the  country,  and  procured  us  all 
means  requisite  for  so  doing,  while  the  shelter  of  his 
roof,  and  the  precautions  which  he  adopted  or  sug- 
gested, obviated  whatever  dangers  and  inconveniences 
we  had  experienced  in  former  stages  of  the  journey. 
Besides,  the  general  disposition  of  the  inhabitants  of 
Hasa  is  very  different  from  that  met  with  in  Kedjed, 
and  even  in  Shomer  or  Djowf,  and  much  better 
adapted  to  make  a  stranger  feel  himself  at  home.  A 
sea-coast  people,  looking  mainly  to  foreign  lands  and 
the  ocean  for  livelihood  and  commerce,  accustomed 
to  see  among  them  not  unfrequently  men  of  dress, 
manners,  and  religion  different  from  their  own,  many 
of  them  themselves  travellers  or  voyagers  to  Basrah, 
Bagdad,  Bahreyn,  Oman,  and  some  even  farther, 
they  are  commonly  free  from  that  half-wondering, 


260  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

half -suspicious  feeling  which  the  sight  of  a  stranger 
occasions  in  the  isolated,  desert-girded  centre.  In 
short,  experience,  that  best  of  masters,  lias  gone  far 
to  unteach  the  lessons  of  ignorance,  intolerance,  and 
national  aversion. 

Hofhoof,  whose  ample  circuit  contained  during  the 
last  generation  about  thirty  thousand  inhabitants,  now 
dwindled  to  twenty-three  or  twenty-four  thousand,  is 
divided  into  three  quarters  or  districts.  The  general 
form  of  the  town  is  that  of  a  large  oval.  The  public 
square,  an  oblong  space  of  about  three  hundred  yards 
in  length  by  a  fourth  of  the.  same  in  width,  occupies 
the  meeting  point  of  these  quarters  ;  the  Kot  lies  on 
its  northeast,  the  Rifey'eeyah  on  the  northwest  and 
west,  and  the  JSTa'athar  on  the  east  and  south.  In 
this  last  quarter  was  our  present  home  ;  moreover,  it 
stood  in  the  part  farthest  removed  from  the  Kot  and 
its  sinister  influences,  while  it  was  also  sufficiently 
distant  from  the  overturbulent  neighborhood  of  the 
Rifey'eeyah,  the  centre  of  anti-Wahabee  movements, 
and  the  name  of  which  alone  excited  distrust  and  un- 
easiness in  Nedjean  minds. 

"  The  Kot  itself  is  a  vast  citadel,  surrounded  by  a 
deep  trench,  with  walls  and  towers  of  unusual  height 
and  thickness,  earth-built,  with  an  occasional  inter- 
mixture of  stone,  the  work  of  the  old  Carmathian 
rulers ;  it  is  nearly  square,  being  about  one-third  of 
a  mile  in  length  by  one-quarter  in  breadth. 

"  On  the  opposite  side  of  the  square,  and  conse- 
quently belonging  to  the  Rifey'eeyah,  is  the  vaulted 
market-place,  or  '  Keysareeyah,'  a  name  by  which  con- 
structions of  this  nature  must  henceforth  be  called  up 


EASTERN  ARABIA  261 

to  Mascat  itself,  though  how  this  Latinism  found  its 
way  across  the  peninsula  to  lands  which  seem  to  have 
had  so  little  commerce  with  the  Roman  or  Byzantine 
empires,  I  cannot  readily  conjecture.  This  Key- 
sareeyah  is  in  forma  long  barrel- vaulted  arcade,  with 
a  portal  at  either  end  ;  the  folding  doors  that  should 
protect  the  entrances  have  here  in  Hofhoof  been 
taken  away,  elsewhere  they  are  always  to  be  found. 
The  sides  are  composed  of  shops,  set  apart  in  general 
for  wares  of  cost,  or  at  least  what  is  here  esteemed 
costly  ;  thus,  weapons,  cloth  embroidery,  gold  and 
silver  ornament,  and  analogous  articles,  are  the  or- 
dinary stock-in-hand  in  the  Keysareeyah.  Around 
it  cluster  several  alleys,  roofed  with  palm-leaves 
against  the  heat,  and  tolerably  symmetrical ;  in  the 
shops  we  may  see  the  merchandise  of  Bahreyn, 
Oman,  Persia,  and  India  exposed  for  sale,  mixed  with 
the  manufactured  produce  of  the  country  ;  workshops, 
smithies,  carpenters'  and  shoemakers'  stalls,  and  the 
like,  are  here  also.  In  the  open  square  itself  stand 
countless  booths  for  the  sale  of  dates,  vegetables, 
wood,  salted  locusts,  and  small  ware  of  many  kinds. 

"  The  Rifey'eeyah,  or  noble  quarter,  covers  a  con- 
siderable extent,  and  is  chiefly  composed  of  tolerable, 
in  some  places  of  even  handsome,  dwellings.  The 
comparative  elegance  of  domestic  architecture  in  Hof- 
hoof is  due  to  the  use  of  the  arch,  which,  after  the 
long  interval  from  Ma'an  to  Hasa,  now  at  last  reap- 
pears, and  gives  to  the  constructions  of  this  province 
a  lightness  and  a  variety  unknown  in  the  monotonous 
and  heavy  piles  of  Kedjed  and  Shomer.  Another 
improvement  is  that  the  walls,  whether  of  earth  or 


262  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

stone,  or  of  both  mixed,  as  is  often  the  case,  are  here 
very  generally  coated  with  fine  white  plaster,  much 
resembling  the  '  chnnarn '  of  Southern  India  ;  orna- 
ment, too,  is  aimed  at  about  the  doorways  and  the 
ogee-headed  windows,  and  is  sometimes  attained. 

"  The  Na'athar  is  the  largest  quarter  ;  it  forms,  in- 
deed, a  good  half  of  the  town,  and  completes  its  oval. 
In  it  every  description  of  dwelling  is  to  be  seen — for 
rich  and  poor,  for  high  and  low,  palace  or  hovel. 
Here,  too,  but  near  the  Ivot,  has  the  pious  policy  of 
Feysul  constructed  the  great  mosque. 

"  But  perhaps  my  reader,  after  accompanying  me 
thus  far,  may  feel  thirsty,  for  the  heat,  even  in  De- 
cember, is  almost  oppressive,  and  the  sky  cloudless 
as  though  it  were  June  or  July.  So  let  us  turn  aside 
into  that  grassy  plantation,  where  half  a  dozen  buffa- 
loes are  cooling  their  ugly  hides  in  a  pool,  and  drink 
a  little  from  the  source  that  supplies  it.  When  be- 
hold !  the  water  is  warm,  almost  hot.  Do  not  be 
surprised  ;  all  the  fountain  sources  and  wells  of  Hasa 
are  so,  more  or  less  ;  in  some  one  can  hardly  bear  to 
plunge  one's  hand  ;  others  are  less  above  the  average 
temperature,  while  a  decidedly  ^sulphurous  taste  is 
now  and  then  perceptible.  In  fact,  from  the  ex- 
treme north  of  this  province  down  to  its  southern- 
most frontier,  this  same  sign  of  subterranean  fire  is 
everywhere  to  be  found.  The  rocks,  too,  are  here 
very  frequently  of  tufa  and  basalt,  another  mark  of 
igneous  agency. 

"  The  products  of  Hasa  are  many  and  various  ;  the 
monotony  of  Arab  vegetation,  its  eternal  palm  and 
ithel,  ithel  and  palm,  are  here  varied  by  new  foliage, 


EASTERN  ARABIA  263 

and  growths  unknown  to  Xccljed  and  Shomer.  True, 
the  date-palm  still  predominates,  nay,  here  attains  its 
greatest  perfection.  But  the  nabak,  with  its  rounded 
leaves  and  little  crab-apple  fruit,  a  mere  bush  in  Cen- 
tral Arabia,  becomes  in  Hasa  a  stately  tree ;  the  pa- 
pay,  too,  so  well  known  in  the  more  easterly  penin- 
sula, appears,  though  seldom,  and  stunted  in  growth, 
alonor  wJth  some  other  trees,  common  on  the  coast 

C7  * 

from  Cutch  to  Bombay.  Indigo  is  here  cultivated, 
though  not  sufficiently  for  the  demands  of  commerce  ; 
cotton  is  much  more  widely  grown  than  in  Yemamah  ; 
rice  fields  abound,  and  the  sugar-cane  is  often  planted, 
though  not,  I  believe,  for  the  extraction  of  the  sugar. 
The  peasants  of  Hasa  sell  the  reed  by  retail  bundles 
in  the  market-place,  and  the  purchasers  take  it  home 
to  gnaw  at  leisure  in  their  houses.  Corn,  maize,  mil- 
let, vetches  of  every  kind,  radishes,  onions,  garlic, 
beans,  in  short,  almost  all  legnmina  and  cerealia,  bar- 
ley excepted  (at  least  I  neither  saw  nor  heard  of  any), 
cover  the  plain,  and  under  a  better  administration 
might  be  multiplied  tenfold. 

"  The  climate  of  Ilasa,  as  I  have  already  implied, 
is  very  different  from  that  of  the  uplands,  and  not 
equally  favorable  to  health  and  physical  activity. 
Hence,  a  doctor,  like  myself,  if  my  readers  will 
allow  me  the  title,  has  here  more  work  and  better 
fees ;  this  latter  circumstance  is  also  owing  to  the 
greater  amount  of  ready  money  in  circulation,  and 
the  higher  value  set  on  medical  science  by  men 
whose  intellects  are  much  more  cultivated  than  those 
of  their  Nedjean  neighbors.  In  appearance,  the 
inhabitants  of  Hasa  are  generally  good-sized  and 


264  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA. 

well-proportioned,  but  somewhat  sallow  in  the  face, 
and  of  a  less  muscular  development  than  is  usual 
inland ;  their  features,  though  regular,  are  less 
marked  than  those  of  the  Xedjeans,  and  do  not  ex- 
hibit the  same  half-Jewish  type.  On  the  contrary, 
there  is  something  in  them  that  reminds  a  beholder 
of  the  Rajpoot  or  the  Guzeratee.  They  are  passion- 
ately fond  of  literature  and  poetry. 

"I  have  already  said  that  our  great  endeavor  in 
Hasa  was  to  observe  unobserved,  and  thus  to  render 
our  time  as  barren  as  might  be  in  incidents  and 
catastrophes.  Not  that  we  went  into  the  opposite 
extreme  of  leading  an  absolutely  retired  and  there- 
fore uneventful  life.  Aboo-'Eysa  took  care  from  the 
first  to  bring  us  into  contact  with  the  best  and  the 
most  cultivated  families  of  the  town,  nor  had  my 
medical  profession  anywhere  a  wider  range  for  its 
exercise,  or  better  success  than  in  Hofhoof.  Friendly 
invitations,  now  to  dinner,  now  to  supper,  were  of 
daily  occurrence ;  and  we  sat  at  tables  where  fish, 
no  longer  mere  salted  shrimps,  announced  our  vicin- 
ity to  the  coast ;  vermicelli,  too,  and  other  kinds  of 
pastry,  denoted  the  influence  of  Persian  art  on  the 
kitchen.  Smoking  within  doors  was  general  ;  but 
the  nargheelah  often  replaced,  and  that  advanta- 
geously, the  short  Arab  pipe ;  perfumes  are  no  less 
here  in  use  than  in  Nedjed. 

"  "VVe  had  passed  about  a  week  in  the  town  when 
Aboo-'Eysa  entered  the  side  room  where  Barakat 
and  I  were  enjoying  a  moment  of  quiet,  and  copying 
out  '  Nabtee'  poetry,  and  shut  the  door  behind  him. 
He  then  announced  to  us,  with  a  face  and  tone  of 


EASTERN  ARABIA  265 

serious  anxiety,  that  two  of  the  principal  Xedjean 
agents  belonging  to  the  Kot  had  jnst  come  into  the 
k'havvah,  under  pretext  of  medical  consultation,  but 
in  reality,  said  he,  to  identify  the  strangers.  We  put 
on  our  cloaks — a  preliminary  measure  of  decorum 
equivalent  to  face-  and  hand-washing  in  Europe — and 
presented  ourselves  before  our  inquisitors  with  an 
air  of  conscious  innocence  and  scientific  solemnity. 
Conversation  ensued,  and  we  talked  so  learnedly 
about  bilious  and  sanguine  complexions,  cephalic 
veins,  and  Indian  drugs,  with  such  apposite  citations 
from  the  Koran,  and  such  loyal  phrases  for  Feysul, 
that  Aboo-'Eysa  was  beside  himself  for  joy  ;  and  the 
spies,  after  receiving  some  prescriptions  of  the  bread- 
pill  and  aromatic-water  formula,  left  the  house  no 
wiser  than  before.  Our  friends,  too,  and  they  were 
now  many,  well  guessing  what  we  might  really  be, 
partly  from  our  own  appearance  and  partly  from  the 
known  character  of  our  host  (according  to  old 
Homer's  true  saying,  Heaven  always  leads  like  to 
like),  did  each  and  all  their  best  to  throw  sand  into 
Wahabee  eyes,  and  everything  went  on  sociably  and 
smoothly.  A  blessing  on  the  medical  profession ! 
None  other  gives  such  excellent  opportunities  for  se- 
curing everywhere  confidence  and  friendship. 

"  Before  we  leave  Hasa  I  must  add  a  few  remarks 
to  complete  the  sketch  given  of  the  province  and  of 
its  inhabitants.  Want  of  a  suitable  opportunity  for 
inserting  them  before  has  thrown  them  together  at 
this  point  of  my  narrative. 

"  My  fair  readers  will  be  pleased  to  learn  that  the 

veil  and  other  restraints  inflicted  on  the  gentle  sex 
18 


266  TRA  VELS  IN  AUAJ3IA 

by  Islamitic  rigorism,  not  to  say  worse,  are  much  less 
universal,  and  more  easily  dispensed  with  in  Hasa ; 
while  in  addition,  the  ladies  of  the  land  enjoy  a  re- 
markable share  of  those  natural  gifts  which  no  insti- 
tutions, and  even  no  cosmetics,  can  confer ;  namely, 
beauty  of  face  and  elegance  of  form.  Might  I  vent- 
ure on  the  delicate  and  somewhat  invidious  task  of 
constructing  a  '  beauty-scale '  for  Arabia,  and  for 
Arabia  alone,  the  Bedouin  women  would,  on  this 
kalometer,  be  represented  by  zero,  or  at  most  1°  ;  a 
degree  higher  would  represent  the  female  sex  of  Ned- 
jed  ;  above  them  rank  the  women  of  Shomer,  who  are 
in  their  turn  surmounted  by  those  of  Djowf .  The  fifth 
or  sixth  degree  symbolizes  the  fair  ones  of  Hasa  ;  the 
seventh  those  of  Jvatar  ;  and  lastly,  by  a  sudden  rise 
of  ten  degrees  at  least,  the  seventeenth  or  eighteenth 
would  denote  the  pre-eminent  beauties  of  Oman. 
Arab  poets  occasionally  languish  after  the  charmers 
of  Hedjaz  ;  I  never  saw  anyone  to  charm  me,  but 
then  I  only  skirted  the  province.  All  bear  witness 
to  the  absence  of  female  loveliness  in  Yemen  ;  and  I 
should  much  doubt  whether  the  mulatto  races  and 
dusky  complexions  of  Hadramaut  have  much  to  vaunt 
of.  But  in  Ilasa  a  decided  improvement  on  this  im- 
portant point  is  agreeably  evident  to  the  traveller 
arriving  from  Nedjed,  and  he  will  be  yet  further  de- 
lighted on  rinding  his  Calypsos  much  more  conversi- 
ble,  and  having  much  more,  too,  in  their  conversa- 
tion than  those  he  left  behind  him  in  Sedeyr  and 
'Aared. 

"  During  our  stay  at  Hofhoof,  Aboo-'Eysa  left  un- 
tried no  arts  of  Arab  rhetoric  and  persuasion  to  cle- 


EASTERN  ARABIA  267 

termine  me  to  visit  Oman,  assuring  me  again  and 
again  that  whatever  we  had  yet  seen,  even  in  his 
favorite  Hasa,  was  nothing  compared  to  what  re- 
mained to  see  in  that  more  remote  country.  My 
companion,  tired  of  our  long  journey,  and  thinking 
the  long  distance  already  laid  between  him  and  his 
Syrian  home  quite  sufficient  in  itself  without  further 
leagues  tacked  on  to  it,  was  very  little  disposed  for 
a  supplementary  expedition.  Englishmen,  on  the 
contrary,  are  rovers  by  descent  and  habit ;  my  own 
mind  was  now  fully  made  up  to  visit  Oman  at  all 
risks,  whether  Barakat  came  with  me  or  not.  Mean- 
while, we  formed  our  plan  for  the  next  immediate 
stage  of  our  route.  My  companion  and  I  were  to 
quit  Hofhoof  together,  leaving  Aboo-'Eysa  behind 
us  for  a  week  or  two  at  Hasa,  while  we  journeyed 
northward  to  Kateef,  and  thence  took  ship  for  the 
town  of  Menamah  in  Bahreyn.  In  this  latter  place 
Aboo-'Eysa  was  to  rejoin  us.  Our  main  reason  for 
thus  separating  our  movements  in  time  and  in  direc- 
tion, was  to  avoid  the  too  glaring  appearance  of  act- 
ing in  concert  while  }'et  in  a  land  under  Wahabee 
government  and  full  of  Wahabee  spies  and  reporters, 
especially  after  the  suspicions  thrown  on  us  at  Ri'ad. 
The  Oman  arangements  were  to  be  deferred  till  we 
should  all  meet  again. 

"  Barakat  and  myself  prepared  for  our  departure  ; 
we  purchased  a  few  objects  of  local  curiosity,  got  in 
our  dues  of  medical  attendance,  paid  and  received 
the  customary  P.  P.  C.  visits,  and  even  tendered  our 
respects  to  the  negro  governor  Belal,  where  he  sat 
at  his  palace  door  in  the  Kot,  holding  a  public  au- 


268  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

dience,  and  looking  much  like  any  other  well-dressed 
black.  No  passport  was  required  for  setting  out  on 
the  road  to  Kateef,  which  in  the  eyes  of  government 
forms  only  one  and  the  same  province  with  Hasa, 
though  in  many  respects  very  different  from  it. 
The  road  is  perfectly  secure  ;  plundering  Bedouins 
or  highway  robbers  are  here  out  of  the  question. 
However,  we  stood  in  need  of  companions,  not  for 
escort,  but  as  guides.  Aboo-'Eysa  made  inquiries  in 
the  town,  and  found  three  men  who  chanced  to  be 
just  then  setting  out  on  their  way  for  Kateef,  who 
readily  consented  to  join  band  with  us  for  the  road. 
Our  Abyssinian  hostess  supplied  us  with  a  whole 
sack  of  provisions,  and  our  Hofhoof  associates  found 
us  in  camels.  Thus  equipped  and  mounted,  we  took 
an  almost  touching  leave  of  Aboo-'Eysa's  good- 
natured  wife,  kissed  the  baby,  exchanged  an  au  re- 
voir  with  its  father,  and  set  out  on  the  afternoon  of 
December  19th,  leaving  behind  us  many  pleasant 
acquaintances,  from  some  of  whom  I  received  mes- 
sages and  letters  while  at  Bahreyn.  So  far  as  in- 
habitants are  concerned,  to  no  town  in  Arabia  should 
I  return  with  equal  confidence  of  finding  a  hearty 
greeting  and  a  welcome  reception,  than  to  Hofhoof 
and  its  amiable  and  intelligent  merchants. 

"We  quitted  the  town  by  the  northeastern  gate  of 
the  Rifey-'eeyah,  where  the  friends,  who,  according 
to  Arab  custom,  had  accompanied  us  thus  far  in  a 
sort  of  procession,  wished  us  a  prosperous  journey, 
took  a  last  adieu,  and  returned  home.  After  some 
hours  we  bivouacked  on  a  little  hillock  of  clean  sand, 
with  the  dark  line  of  the  Hofhoof  woods  on  our 


EASTERN  ARABIA  269 

left,  while  at  some  distance  in  front  a  copious  foun- 
tain poured  out  its  rushing  waters  with  a  noise  dis- 
tinctly audible  in  the  stillness  of  the  night,  and  ir- 
rigated a  garden  worthy  of  Damascus  or  Antioch. 
The  night  air  was  temperate,  neither  cold  like  that 
of  Nedjed,  nor  stifling  like  that  of  Southern  India  ; 
the  sky  clear  and  starry.  From  our  commanding 
position  on  the  hill  I  could  distinguish  Soheyl  or 
Canopus,  now  setting ;  and  following  him,  not  far 
above  the  horizon,  the  three  upper  stars  of  the 
Southern  Cross,  an  old  Indian  acquaintance ;  two 
months  later  in  Oman  I  had  the  view  of  the  entire 
constellation. 

"Xext  morning  we  traversed  a  large  plain  of  light 
and  sandy  soil,  intersected  by  occasional  ridges  of 
basalt  and  sandstone. 

"  We  journeyed  on  all  day,  meeting  no  Bedouins 
and  few  travellers.  At  evening  we  encamped  in  a 
siiallow  valley,  near  a  cluster  of  brimming  wells, 
some  sweet,  some  brackish,  where  the  traces  of  half- 
obliterated  watercourses  and  the  vestiges  of  crumbling 
house-walls  indicated  the  former  existence  of  a  village, 
now  also  deserted.  We  passed  a  comfortable  night 
under  the  shelter  of  palms  and  high  brushwood, 
mixed  with  gigantic  aloes  and  yuccas,  and  rose  next 
morning  early  to  our  way.  Our  direction  lay  north- 
east. In  the  afternoon  we  caught  our  first  glimpse 
of  Djebel  Mushahhar,  a  pyramidicalpeak  some  seven 
hundred  feet  high  and  about  ten  miles  south  of 
Kateef.  But  the  sea,  though  I  looked  toward  it  and 
for  it  with  an  eagerness  somewhat  resembling  that 
of  the  Ten  Thousand  on  their  approach  to  the  Eux- 


270  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

ine,  remained  shut  out  from  view  by  a  further  con- 
tinuation of  the  heights. 

"  Next  day  we  rose  at  dawn,  and  crossed  the  hills 
of  Kateef  by  a  long  winding  path,  till  after  some 
hours  of  labyrinthine  track  we  came  in  sight  of  the 
dark  plantation-line  that  girdles  Kateef  itself  land- 
ward. The  sea  lies  immediately  beyond  ;  this  we 
knew,  but  we  could  not  obtain  a  glimpse  of  its  waters 
through  the  verdant  curtain  stretched  between. 

"  About  midday  we  descended  the  last  slope,  a 
steep  sandstone  cliff,  which  looks  as  though  it  had 
been  the  sea-limit  of  a  former  period.  We  now  stood 
on  the  coast  itself.  Its  level  is  as  nearly  as  pos- 
sible that  of  the  Gulf  beyond  ;  a  few  feet  of  a 
higher  tide  than  usual  would  cover  it  up  to  the  cliffs. 
Hence  it  is  a  decidedly  unhealthy  land,  though  fertile 
and  even  populous ;  but  the  inhabitants  are  mostly 
weak  in  frame  and  sallow  in  complexion.  The  at- 
mosphere was  thick  and  oppressive,  the  heat  intense, 
and  the  vegetation  hung  rich  and  heavy  around  ;  my 
companions  talked  about  suffocation,  and  I  remem- 
bered once  more  the  Indian  coast.  Another  hour  of 
afternoon  march  brought  us  to  Kateef  itself,  at  its 
western  portal ;  a  high  stone  arch  of  elegant  form, 
and  flanked  by  walls  and  towers,  but  all  dismantled 
and  ruinous.  Close  by  the  two  burial-grounds,  one 
for  the  people  of  the  land,  the  other  for  the  Nedjean 
rulers  and  colony — divided  even  after  death  by  mu- 
tual hatred  and  anathema.  Folly,  if  you  will,  but 
folly  not  peculiar  to  the  East. 

"  The  town  itself  is  crowded,  damp,  and  dirty,  and 
has  altogether  a  gloomy,  what  for  want  of  a  better 


EASTERN  ARABIA  271 

epithet  I  would  call  a  mouldy,  look  ;  much  business 
was  going  on  in  the  market  and  streets,  but  the  ill- 
favored  and  very  un-Arab  look  of  the  shopkeepers 
and  workmen  confirms  what  history  tells  of  the  Per- 
sian colonization  of  this  city.  Indeed,  the  inhabitants 
of  the  entire  district,  but  more  especially  of  the  capi- 
tal, are  a  mongrel  race,  in  which  Persian  blood  pre- 
dominates, mixed  with  that  of  Bassora,  Bagdad,  and 
the  'Irak. 

"  We  urged  our  starting  dromedaries  across  the 
open  square  in  front  of  the  market-place,  traversed 
the  town  in  its  width,  which  is  scarce  a  quarter  of  its 
length  (like  other  coast  towns),  till  we  emerged  from 
the  opposite  gate,  and  then  looked  out  with  greedy 
eyes  for  the  sea,  now  scarce  ten  minutes  distant.  In 
vain  as  yet,  so  low  lies  the  land,  and  so  thick  cluster 
the  trees.  But  after  a  turn  or  two  we  came  along- 
side of  the  outer  walls,  belonging  to  the  huge  fortress 
of  Karmoot,  and  immediately  afterward  the  valley 
opening  out  showed  us  almost  at  our  feet  the  dead 
shallow  flats  of  the  bay.  How  different  from  the 
bright  waters  of  the  Mediterranean,  all  glitter  and 
life,  where  we  had  bidden  them  farewell  eight 
months  before  at  Gaza !  Like  a  leaden  sheet,  half 
ooze,  half  sedge,  the  muddy  sea  lay  in  view,  wave- 
less,  motionless  ;  to  our  left  the  massive  walls  of  the 
castle  went  down  almost  to  the  water's  edge,  and  then 
turned  to  leave  a  narrow  esplanade  between  its  cir- 
cuit and  the  Gulf.  On  this  ledge  were  ranged  a  few 
rusty  guns  of  large  calibre,  to  show  how  the  place 
was  once  guarded  ;  and  just  in  front  of  the  main  gate 
a  crumbling  outwork,  which  a  single  cannon-shot 


272  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

would  level  with  the  ground,  displayed  six  pieces  of 
honey-combed  artillery,  their  mouths  pointing  sea- 
ward. Long  stone  benches  without  invited  us  to  leave 
our  camels  crouching  on  the  esplanade,  while  we 
seated  ourselves  and  rested  a  little  before  requesting 
the  governor  to  grant  us  a  day's  hospitality,  and  per- 
mission to  embark  for  Bahreyn. 

"  Barakat  and  I  sat  still  to  gaze,  speculating  on  the 
difference  between  the  two  sides  of  Arabia.  But  our 
companions,  like  true  Arabs,  thought  it  high  time  for 
'  refreshment,'  and  accordingly  began  their  inquiries 
at  the  castle-gate  where  the  governor  might  be,  and 
whether  he  was  to  be  spoken  to.  When,  behold !  the 
majesty  of  Feysul's  vicegerent  issuing  in  person  from 
his  palace  to  visit  the  new  man-of-war.  My  aboli- 
tionist friends  will  be  gratified  to  learn  that  this  ex- 
alted dignitary  is,  no  less  than  he  of  Hofhoof,  a 
negro,  brought  up  from  a  curly-headed  imp  to  a 
woolly-headed  black  in  Feysul's  own  palace,  and  now 
governor  of  the  most  important  harbor  owned  by 
Nedjed  on  the  Persian  Gulf,  and  of  the  town  once 
capital  of  that  fierce  dynasty  which  levelled  the  Kaa- 
bah  with  the  dust,  and  filled  Kateef  with  the  plunder 
of  Yemen  and  Syria.  Farhat,  to  give  him  his  proper 
name,  common  among  those  of  his  complexion,  was  a 
fine  tall  negro  of  about  fifty  years  old,  good-natured, 
chatty,  hospitable,  and  furnished  with  perhaps  a  trifle 
more  than  the  average  amount  of  negro  intellect. 

"  Aboo-'Eysa,  who  had  friends  and  acquaintances 
everywhere,  and  whose  kindly  manner  made  him 
always  a  special  favorite  with  negroes  high  or  low, 
had  furnished  us  with  an  introductory  letter  to  Far- 


EASTERN  ARABIA  273 

hat,  intended  to  make  matters  smooth  for  our  future 
route.  But  as  matters  went  there  was  little  need  of 
caution.  The  fortunate  coincidence  of  a  strong  north 
wind,  just  then  blowing  down  the  Gulf,  gave  a  satis- 
factory reason  for  not  embarking  on  board  of  a  Bas- 
sora  cruiser,  while  it  rendered  a  voyage  to  Bahreyn, 
our  real  object,  equally  specious  and  easy.  Besides, 
Farhat  himself,  who  was  a  good,  easy-going  sort  of 
man,  had  hardly  opened  Aboo-'Eysa's  note,  than 
without  more  ado  he  bade  us  a  hearty  welcome, 
ordered  our  luggage  to  be  brought  within  the  castle 
precincts,  and  requested  us  to  step  in  ourselves  and 
take  a  cup  of  coffee,  awaiting  his  return  for  further 
conversation  after  his  daily  visit  of  inspection  to 
Feysul's  abridged  fleet. 

"  The  next  day  passed,  partly  in  Farhat's  k'hawah, 
partly  in  strolling  about  the  castle,  town,  gardens, 
and  beach,  making,  meanwhile,  random  inquiries 
after  boats  and  boatmen. 

"It  was  noon  when  we  fell  in  with  a  ship  captain, 
ready  to  sail  that  very  night,  wind  and  tide  permit- 
ting. Farhat's  men  had  spoken  with  him,  and  he 
readily  offered  to  take  us  on  board.  We  then  paid  a 
visit  to  the  custom-house  officer  to  settle  the  em- 
barkation dues  for  men  and  goods.  This  foreman  of 
the  Mu'asher,  whether  in  accordance  with  orders 
from  Farhat,  or  of  his  own  free  will  and  inclination, 
I  know  not,  proved  wonderfully  gracious,  and  de- 
clared that  to  take  a  farthing  of  duty  from  such  use- 
ful servants  of  the  public  as  doctors,  would  be  '  sheyn 
w'  khata','  '  shame  and  sin.'  Alas,  that  European 
custom-house  officials  should  be  far  removed  from 


274  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

such  generous  and  patriotic  sentiments !  Lastly,  of 
his  own  accord  he  furnished  us  with  men  to  carry  our 
baggage  through  knee-deep  water  and  thigh-deep 
mud  to  the  little  cutter,  wheie  she  lay  some  nt'ty 
yards  from  shore.  Evening  now  came  on,  and  Far- 
hat  sent  for  us  to  congratulate  us,  but  with  a  polite 
regret  on  having  found  so  speedy  conveyance  for  our 
voyage.  Meanwhile  he  let  us  understand  how  he 
was  himself  invited 'for  the  evening  to  supper  with  a 
rich  merchant  of  the  town,  and  that  we  were  expected 
to  join  the  party  ;  nor  need  that  make  us  anxious 
about  our  passage,  since  our  ship  captain  was  also  in- 
vited, nor  could  the  vessel  possibly  sail  before  the  full 
tide  at  midnight. 

"  From  our  town  supper  we  returned  by  torchlight 
to  the  castle  ;  our  baggage,  no  great  burden,  had 
been  already  taken  down  to  the  sea  gate,  where  stood 
two  of  the  captain's  men  waiting  for  us.  In  their 
company  we  descended  to  the  beach,  and  then  with 
garments  tucked  up  to  the  waist  waded  to  the  vessel, 
not  without  difficulty,  for  the  tide  was  rapidly  com- 
ing in,  and  we  had  almost  to  swim  for  it.  At  last 
we  reached  the  ship  and  scrambled  up  her  side ; 
most  heartily  glad  was  I  to  find  myself  at  sea  once 
more  on  the  other  side  of  Arabia." 

After  a  slow  voyage  of  three  days  Palgrave 
reached  Bahreyn,  the  headquarters  of  the  pearl  fish- 
eries, and  established  himself  in  the  little  town  of 
Moharrek,  to  wait  for  the  arrival  of  Aboo-'Eysa  be- 
fore undertaking  his  projected  exploration  of  Oman. 
He  and  his  companion  enjoyed  a  grateful  feeling  of 
rest  and  security  in  this  seaport  among  the  sailors,  to 


EASTERN  ARABIA  275 

whom  all  varieties  of  foreigners  were  well  known, 
and  who,  having  no  prejudices,  felt  no  suspicion. 

On  January  9,  1863,  Aboo-'Eysa  arrived,  and 
after  much  earnest  consultation  the  following  plan 
was  adopted  :  Aboo-'Eysa  was  to  send  twenty  loads 
of  the  best  Hasa  dates,  and  a  handsome  mantle, 
as  presents  to  the  Sultan  of  Oman,  with  three  ad- 
ditional mantles  for  the  three  chiefs  whose  terri- 
tories intervened  between  Bahreyn  and  Muscat. 
Palgrave  was  to  accompany  these  gifts,  under  his 
character  of  a  skilled  physician  in  quest  of  certain 
rare  and  mysterious  herbs  of  Oman.  Meanwhile, 
Aboo-'Eysa  and  Barakat  would  take  passage  for 
Aboo-Shahr  (Busheer),  in  Persia,  where  the  former 
would  be  employed  for  three  months  in  making  up 
his  next  caravan  of  Mecca  pilgrims.  Here  Palgrave 
was  to  rejoin  them  after  his  journey. 

In  place  of  Barakat  his  companion  was  a  curious 
individual  named  Yoosef,  whom  Aboo-'Eysa  had  res- 
cued from  misery  and  maintained  in  a  decent  condi- 
tion, lie  was  a  native  of  Hasa,  half  a  jester  and 
half  a  knave ;  witty,  reckless,  hare-brained  to  the  last 
degree,  full  of  jocose  or  pathetic  stories,  of  poetry, 
traditions,  and  fun  of  every  description.  When 
everything  had  been  arranged  the  four  parted  com- 
pany, Palgrave  and  his  new  companion  sailing  for 
the  port  of  Bedaa',  on  the  Arabian  coast,  where  re- 
sided the  first  of  the  three  chiefs  whose  protection  it 
was  necessary  to  secure.  They  reached  there  after  a 
cruise  of  five  or  six  days,  finding  the  place  very  bar- 
ren and  desolate,  with  scarcely  a  tree  or  a  garden  ; 
but,  as  the  chief  said  to  Palgrave,  "  We  are  all,  from 


276  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

the  highest  to  the  lowest,  the  slaves  of  one  master — 
Pearl."  The  bay  contains  the  best  pearl-fishery  on 
the  coast,  and  the  town  depends  for  its  existence  on 
the  trade  in  these  gems. 

The  chief  was  intelligent  and  friendly,  and  appears 
to  have  interposed  no  obstacle  to  the  proposed  jour- 
ney into  the  interior,  but  Palgrave  decided  to  go  on 
by  sea  to  the  town  of  Sharjah,  on  the  northern  side 
of  the  peninsula  of  Oman.  Embarking  again  on 
February  6th,  the  vessel  was  driven  by  violent  winds 
across  to  the  Persian  shore,  and  ten  days  elapsed  be- 
fore it  was  possible  to  reach  Sharjah.  Here,  again, 
although  their  reception  was  hospitable,  the  travellers 
gave  up  their  land  journey  and  re-embarked  in  an- 
other vessel  to  pass  around  the  peninsula,  through 
the  Straits  of  Ormnz,  and  land  on  the  southern  shore, 
in  the  territory  of  Muscat. 

In  three  days  they  reached  the  island  of  Ormuz, 
of  which  Palgrave  says :  "  I  was  not  at  all  sorry  to 
have  an  opportunity  of  visiting  an  island  once  so  re- 
nowned for  its  commerce,  and  of  which  its  Portu- 
guese occupants  used  to  say,  '  that,  were  the  world  a 
golden  ring  Ormuz  would  be  the  diamond  signet.' 
The  general  appearance  of  Ormuz  indicates  an  ex- 
tinguished volcano,  and  such  I  believe  it  really  is ; 
the  circumference  consists  of  a  wide  oval  wall, 
formed  by  steep  crags,  fire-worn  and  ragged ;  these 
enclose  a  central  basin,  where  grow  shrubs  and  grass  ; 
the  basaltic  slopes  of  the  outer  barrier  run  in  many 
places  clean  down  into  the  sea,  amid  splinter-like 
pinnacles  and  fantastic  crags  of  many  colors,  like 
those  which  lava  often  assumes  on  cooling.  Between 


EASTERN  ARABIA  277 

the  west  and  north  a  long  triangular  promontory, 
low  and  level,  advances  to  a  considerable  distance, 
and  narrows  into  a  neck  of  land,  which  is  terminated 
by  a  few  rocks  and  a  strong  fortress,  the  work  of 
Portuguese  builders,  but  worthy  of  taking  rank 
among  Roman  ruins — so  solid  are  the  walls,  so  com- 
pact the  masonry  and  well-selected  brickwork,  against 
which  three  long  centuries  of  sea-storm  have  broken 
themselves  in  vain.  The  greater  part  of  the  promon- 
tory itself  is  covered  with  ruins.  Here  stood  the  once 
thriving  town,  now  a  confused  extent  of  desolate 
heaps,  amid  which  the  vestiges  of  several  fine  dwell- 
ings, of  baths,  and  of  a  large  church  may  yet  be 
clearly  made  out.  Close  by  the  fort  cluster  a  hun- 
dred or  more  wretched  earth-hovels,  the  abode  of 
fishermen  or  shepherds,  whose  flocks  pasture  within 
the  crater ;  one  single  shed,  where  dried  dates,  rai- 
sins, and  tobacco  are  exposed  for  sale,  is  all  that  now 
remains  of  the  trade  of  Ormuz." 

After  being  detained  three  days  at  Ormuz  by  a 
storm,  the  vessel  passed  through  the  Strait,  skirted 
the  southern  coast  of  the  peninsula,  and  reached  the 
harbor  of  Sohar  on  March  3d.  Palgrave  deter- 
mined to  set  off  with  Yoosef  the  same  evening  on 
the  land-journey  of  eight  or  nine  days  to  Muscat ;  but 
he  had  already  lost  so  much  time  by  delays  since 
leaving  Bahreyn  that  he  yielded  to  the  persuasions  of 
the  captain  of  another  vessel,  who  promised  to  take 
him  to  Muscat  by  sea  in  two  days.  lie  sailed  on  the 
6th,  weighed  down  with  a  vague  presentiment  of 
coming  evil,  which  was  soon  to  be  justified.  Ilia 
wanderings  in  Arabia,  and  also  in  this  world,  very 


278  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

nearly  came  to  an  end.  The  vessel  slowly  glided  on 
for  two  days,  and  Muscat  was  almost  in  sight  when  a 
dead,  ominous  calm  befell  them  near  the  Sowadah 
Islands — some  low  reefs  of  barren  rocks,  about  three 
leagues  from  shore.  It  proved  to  be  a  calm,  ominous 
indeed  for  Palgrave,  as  well  as  for  the  captain  of  the 
vessel  and  all  on  board.  It  was  followed  by  a  furious 
storm  that  ended  in  the  wreck  of  the  dhow,  and  the 
loss  of  several  lives,  together  with  the  entire  outfit  of 
the  expedition.  Palgrave  and  the  survivors  of  the 
crew  and  passengers,  nine  in  number,  barely  escaped 
with  their  lives,  and  reached  the  shore  utterly  ex- 
hausted, with  nothing  but  the  shirts  they  wore. 

In  sorry  plight  the  traveller  made  his  way  along 
the  coast  to  Muscat.  He  was  obliged  to  give  up  the 
idea  of  exploring  the  interior  of  Oman,  partly  on  ac- 
count of  the  loss  of  the  stores  but  chiefly  because  his 
identity  as  a  European  had  been  disclosed  ;  and  so 
in  this  disastrous  manner  ended  the  most  important 
and  interesting  journey  that  had  yet  been  made  by 
any  traveller  in  Arabia. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

LADY  BLUNTS  PILGRIMAGE  TO  NEJD 

IN  1878-79,  sixteen  years  after  Palgrave's  journey, 
Lady  Anne  Blunt,  with  her  husband  and  several 
native  servants,  accomplished  a  journey,  which,  in 
many  respects  was  more  remarkable  than  the  exploits 
of  any  of  their  predecessors.  Whereas  Palgrave  and 
others  had  travelled  in  disguise,  believing  it  impossi- 
ble to  penetrate  into  the  interior  otherwise  than  as 
mussulmans,  the  Blunts  made  no  pretences  of  the 
kind,  but  went  as  European  travellers,  desirous  of 
seeing  the  country,  and  visiting  its  rulers.  They  tra- 
versed the  whole  breadth  of  the  peninsula,  from  Bey- 
rout  on  the  Mediterranean  coast,  to  Bagdad  on  the 
Tigris,  crossing  the  Great  Nefood.  or  central  desert, 
and  visiting  Hail,  Jebel  Shammer,  and  other  places 
in  Xejd.* 

On  their  return  Lady  Blunt  published  the  remark- 
ably interesting  story  of  their  adventures,  under  the 
title  of  "  A  Pilgrimage  to  Kejd,"  a  book  which 
added  greatly  to  our  knowledge  of  the  Arabian  in- 

*  It  is  well  to  point  out  here  that  Palgrave  and  Lady  Blunt 
spell  the  names  of  places  quite  differently,  which  makes  it  rather 
difficult  at  times  to  identify  them  as  referring  to  places  mutually 
visited.  Thus,  Blunt's  "  Hail  "  and  Palgrave's  "  Ha'yel  "  are 
one;  as  are  also  "  J6f "  and  "Djowf."  Other  differences  are 
"  Nejd/'  ''Nejed,"  "  Djebel  Shomer,"  "Jebel  Shammer,''  etc. 


280  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

terior,  and  to  which  the  compiler  of  this  chapter  is 
largely  indebted. 

The  travellers  entered  upon  their  adventurous  un- 
dertaking with  the  advantage  of  experiences  gained 
on  a  previous  journey  among  the  Arab  tribes  of  the 
Euphrates  Valley,  and  a  knowledge  of  the  Arab 
tongue.  Their  native  servants,  who  had  accompanied 
them  on  their  previous  expedition,  eagerly  joined 
their  service  for  the  new  venture ;  camels,  horses,  and 
all  necessary  supplies  for  the  journey  were  purchased 
at  Damascus,  and  on  December  12th,  1879,  the  start 
was  made. 

Though  unwilling  to  travel  under  false  colors  as  to 
race  or  nationality,  the  English  travellers  found  it 
convenient  to  adopt  the  Bedouin  costume  for  the  de- 
sert journey,  to  avoid  attracting  more  notice  than  was 
necessary.  Their  first  objective  point  was  Jof,  an 
important  oasis  in  the  desert,  four  hundred  miles 
away.  Lady  Blunt,  describing  the  start  from  Damas- 
cus, says : 

"  At  first  we  skirted  the  city,  passing  the  gate 
where  St.  Paul  is  said  to  have  entered,  and  the  place 
where  he  got  over  the  wall,  and  then  along  the  sub- 
urb of  Maidan,  which  is  the  quarter  occupied  by 
Bedouins  when  they  come  to  town,  and  where  we  had 
found  the  Tudmuri  and  our  camels.  Here  we  were 
to  have  met  the  Jerdeh,  and  we  waited  some  time 
outside  the  Bawabat  Allah,  or  '  Gates  of  God,'  while 
Mohammed  went  in  to  make  inquiries  and  take  leave 
of  his  Tudmuri  friends. 

"  It  is  in  front  of  this  gate  that  the  pilgrims  assem  - 
ble  on  the  day  of  their  start  for  Mecca,  and  from  it 


LADY  BLUNT "S  PILGRIMAGE  281 

the  Haj  road  leads  away  in  a  nearly  straight  line 
southward.  The  Haj  road  is  to  be  our  route  as  far 
as  Mezarib,  and  is  a  broad,  well-worn  track,  though 
of  course  not  a  road  at  all  according  to  English  ideas. 
It  has,  nevertheless,  a  sort  of  romantic  interest,  one 
cannot  help  feeling,  going  as  it  does  so  far  and 
through  such  desolate  lands,  a  track  so  many  thou- 
sand travellers  have  followed  never  to  return.  I  sup- 
pose in  its  long  history  a  grave  may  have  been  dug 
for  every  yard  of  its  course  from  Damascus  to  Me- 
dina, for,  especially  on  the  return  journey,  there  are 
constantly  deaths  among  the  pilgrims  from  weari- 
ness and  insufficient  food." 

A  leisurely  journey  of  a  week  brought  the  party 
to  Salkhad,  a  Druse  community  at  the  edge  of  the 
desert,  where  Huseyn.  the  Sheykh  of  the  Druses 
provided  them  with  guides  to  the  Kaf  oasis,  a  five 
days'  journey  into  the  desert.  On  the  way  to  Kaf 
they  passed  areas  of  sand,  white  as  snow,  and  encoun- 
tered violent  sand-storms,  in  one  of  which  they  lost  a 
camel  who  seized  his  opportunity  to  escape  back  to 
Mezarib.  Beyond  Kaf  they  met  with  rather  a  thrill- 
ing adventure,  which  is  thus  graphically  described  : 

"  Friday,  January  3d. — We  have  had  an  adven- 
ture at  last,  and  rather  a  disagreeable  one ;  a  severe 
lesson  as  to  the  danger  of  encamping  near  wells.  We 
started  early,  but  were  delayed  a  whole  hour  at 
Jeravvi  taking  water,  and  did  not  leave  the  wells  till 
nearly  eight  o'clock.  Then  we  turned  back  nearly 
due  east  across  the  wady.  The  soil  of  pure  white 
sand  was  heavy  going,  and  we  went  slowly,  crossing 

low  undulations  without  other   landmark    than  the 
19 


282  TRA  VELS  IN  ARABIA 

tells  we  bad  left  behind  us.  Here  and  there  rose 
little  mounds,  tufted  with  ghada.  To  one  of  these 
Wilfrid  and  I  cantered  on,  leaving  the  camels  behind 
us,  and  dismounting,  tied  our  mares  to  the  bushes, 
that  we  might  enjoy  a  few  minutes'  rest  and  eat  our 
midday  mouthful ;  the  greyhounds  meanwhile  played 
about  and  chased  each  other  in  the  sand. 

"  We  had  finished,  and  were  talking  of  I  know  not 
what,  when  the  camels  passed  us.  They  were  hardly 
a  couple  of  hundred  yards  in  front,  when  suddenly 
we  heard  a  thud,  thud,  thud,  on  the  sand,  a  sound  of 
galloping.  Wilfrid  jumped  to  his  feet,  looked 
round,  and  called  out :  l  Get  on  your  mare.  This  is 
a  ghazu ! ' 

"  As  I  scrambled  round  the  bush  to  my  mare,  I 
saw  a  troop  of  horsemen  charging  down  at  full  gal- 
lop with  their  lances,  not  two  hundred  yards  off. 
Wilfrid  was  up  as  he  spoke,  and  so  should  I  have 
been  but  for  my  sprained  knee  and  the  deep  sand, 
both  of  which  gave  way  as  I  was  rising.  I  fell  back. 
There  was  no  time  to  think,  and  I  had  hardly  strug- 
gled to  my  feet  when  the  enemy  was  upon  us,  and  I 
was  knocked  down  by  a  spear.  Then  they  all  turned 
on  Wilfrid,  who  had  waited  for  me,  some  of  them 
jumping  down  on  foot  to  get  hold  of  his  mare's  hal- 
ter. He  had  my  gun  with  him,  which  I  had  just 
before  handed  to  him,  but  unloaded,  his  own  gun 
and  his  sword  being  on  his  del  til  (riding  camel).  He 
fortunately  had  on  very  thick  clothes,  two  abbas  one 
over  the  other,  and  English  clothes  underneath,  so 
the  lances  did  him  no  harm.  At  last  his  assailants 
managed  to  get  his  gun  from  him  and  broke  it  over 


LADY  BLUNT "8  PILGRIMAGE  283 

his  head,  hitting  him  three  times  and  smashing  the 
stock. 

"  Resistance  seemed  to  me  useless,  and  I  shouted 
to  the  nearest  horseman,  '  Ana  dahilak '  (I  am  un- 
der your  protection),  the  usual  form  of  surrender. 
Wilfrid  hearing  this,  and  thinking  he  had  had 
enough  of  this  unequal  contest,  one  against  twelve, 
threw  himself  off  his  mare.  The  Kfiayal  (horse- 
men) having  seized  both  the  mares,  paused,  and  as 
soon  as  they  had  gathered  breath,  began  to  ask  us 
who  we  were  and  where  we  came  from. 

"  '  English,  and  we  have  come  from  Damascus,' 
we  replied,  '  and  our  camels  are  close  by.  Come 
with  us  and  you  shall  hear  about  it.' 

"  Our  caravan,  while  all  this  had  happened,  and  it 
only  lasted  about  five  minutes,  had  formed  itself  into 
a  square,  and  the  camels  were  kneeling  down,  as  we 
could  plainly  see  from  where  we  were.  I  hardly  ex- 
pected the  horsemen  to  do  as  we  asked,  but  the  man 
who  seemed  to  be  their  leader  at  once  let  us  walk  on 
(a  process  causing  me  acute  pain),  and  followed  with 
the  others  to  the  caravan.  We  found  Mohammed 
and  the  rest  of  our  party  entrenched  behind  the 
camels  with  their  guns  pointed,  and  as  we  approached, 
Mohammed  stepped  out  and  came  forward. 

'; '  Min  entum  ? '  (Who  are  you  ?)  was  the  first  ques- 
tion. 

"  *  Roala  min  Ibn  Debaa.'  '  Wallah  ? '  (Will  you 
swear  by  God?)  *  Wallah ! '  (We  swear). 

"'And  you?'  'Mohammed  ibn  Aruk  of  Tud- 
iiuir.' 

" « Wallah  ? '     '  Wallah  ! '     '  And  these  are  Franjis 


284  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

travelling  with  you  ? '  '  Wallah  !  Franjis,  friends 
of  Ibn  Shaalan.' 

"  It  was  all  right ;  we  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of 
friends.  Ibn  Shaalan,  our  host  of  last  year,  was 
bound  to  protect  us,  even  so  far  away  in  the  desert, 
and  none  of  his  people  dared  meddle  with  us,  knowing 
this.  Besides,  Mohammed  was  a  Tudmuri,  and  as 
euch  could  not  be  molested  by  Roala,  for  Tudmur 
pays  tribute  to  Ibn  Shaalan,  and  the  Tudmuris  have 
a  right  to  his  protection.  So  as  soon  as  the  circum- 
stances were  made  clear  orders  were  given  by  the 
chief  of  the  party  to  his  followers  to  bring  back  our 
mares,  and  the  gun,  and  everything  which  had  been 
dropped  in  the  scuffle.  Even  to  Wilfrid's  tobacco- 
bag,  all  was  restored." 

The  robbers  and  the  travellers  fraternized  after 
the  affair  was  over,  and  the  former  were  very  much 
ashamed  of  themselves  for  having  used  their  spears 
against  a  woman.  Lady  Blunt  apologizes  for  them, 
however,  as  the  Bedouin  dress  she  wore  for  riding 
prevented  them  distinguishing  her  sex  in  the  confu- 
sion of  the  sudden  attack. 

Two  days  after  the  encounter  in  the  desert  the 
party  arrived  at  Jof,  where  they  spent  three  days, 
and  found  the  people  very  hospitable.  Their  chief 
servant  and  camel-driver,  Mohammed,  was  an  Arab, 
who  had  distant  connections  in  this  part  of  Arabia  ; 
and  as  tribal  kinship,  no  matter  how  remote,  is  re- 
garded as  a  matter  of  great  importance,  this  rela- 
tionship was  of  material  aid  in  securing  them  the 
good-will  of  the  inhabitants.  The  Blunts  were  less 
favorably  impressed  with  Jof  than  was  Palgrave, 


LADY  BLUNT 'S  PILGRIMAGE  285 

who,  however,  uses  the  term  "  Djo\vf  "  in  a  broader 
sense,  as  including  a  number  of  oases  situated  in  "a 
large  oval  depression  of  sixty  or  seventy  miles  long 
by  ten  or  twelve  broad,  lying  between  the  northern 
desert  that  separates  it  from  Syria  and  the  Euphrates, 
and  the  southern  Nefood,  or  sandy  waste,  and  inter- 
posed between  it  and  the  nearest  mountains  of  the 
Central  Arabian  plateau." 

Lady  Blunt  writes  of  it:  "  Jof  is  not  at  all  what  we 
expected.  We  thought  we  should  find  it  a  large  cul- 
tivated district,  and  it  turns  out  to  be  merely  a  small 
town.  There  is  nothing  at  all  outside  the  walls  ex- 
cept a  few  square  patches,  half  an  acre  or  so  each, 
green  with  young  corn,"  etc. 

How  true  is  it  that  no  two  travellers  see  things 
with  the  same  eyes.  Doubtless  both  these  distin- 
guished travellers  are  reasonably  correct  in  their  de- 
scriptions, but  summed  up  their  impressions  from 
opposite  stand-points  in  a  topographical  sense ;  a 
common  enough  mistake  in  Asia,  where  the  name  of 
a  place  often  indicates,  equally  accurately,  a  large  scope 
of  country  and  the  central  spot  in  it.  In  Central 
Asia,  for  example,  there  is  Merv,  which  is  the  name 
of  a  city,  and  also  of  the  large  fertile  oasis  in  which 
it  is  situated  ;  also  Herat,  meaning  a  broad  area  of 
oases,  with  a  population  of  probably  half  a  million 
people,  in  which  the  fortress-city  Herat  stands,  no 
less  than  the  city  itself. 

Important  political  changes  had  taken  place  since 
Palgrave's  visit.  The  rule  of  the  Wahabees  had 
been  overthrown  in  Jof,  and  the  only  representatives 
of  staple  authority  found  there  were  a  Sheykh  and 


286  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

six  soldiers,  who  represented  the  authority  of  Mo- 
hammed ibn  Rash  id,  Emir  of  Jebel  Shainmar,  with 
his  seat  of  government  at  Hail. 

From  Jof  the  travellers  proceeded  toward  Hail, 
crossing  the  dreaded  Kefood,  of  which  they  give  a 
very  interesting,  and  far  less  gloomy,  account  than 
did  Palgrave.  They,  however,  crossed  it  in  January, 
while  Palgrave  crossed  it  in  midsummer;  so  that, 
in  the  case  of  the  Nefood,  as  with  Jof,  the  appar- 
ently conflicting  accounts  are  doubtless  both  fairly 
accurate,  the  one  describing  the  desert  in  winter,  the 
other  in  summer.  On  January  12th,  the  travellers 
found  themselves  on  the  edge  of  the  desert. 

"At  half -past  three  o'clock  we  saw  a  red  streak 
on  the  horizon  before  us,  which  rose  and  gathered  as 
we  approached  it,  stretching  out  east  and  west  in  an 
unbroken  line.  It  might  at  first  have  been  taken  for 
an  effect  of  mirage,  but  on  coming  nearer  we  found 
it  broken  into  billows,  and  but  for  its  red  color  not 
unlike  a  stormy  sea  seen  from  the  shore,  for  it  rose 
np,  as  the  sea  seems  to  rise,  when  the  waves  are  high, 
above  the  level  of  the  land.  Somebody  called  out 
'  Nefud,'  and  though  for  a  while  we  were  incredulous, 
we  were  soon  convinced.  What  surprised  us  was  its 
color,  that  of  rhubarb  and  magnesia,  nothing  at  all 
like  what  we  had  expected.  Yet  the  Kefud  it  was, 
the  great  red  desert  of  Central  Arabia.  In  a  few 
minutes  we  had  cantered  np  to  it,  and  our  mares 
were  standing  with  their  feet  in  its  first  waves. 

"  January  13th. — We  have  been  all  day  in  the  Ne- 
fiid,  which  is  interesting  beyond  our  hopes,  and 
charming  into  the  bargain."  After  taking  issue  with 


LADY  BLUNT "S  PILGRIMAGE  287 

Mr.  Palgrave,  who,  Lady  Blunt  thinks,  overlooked 
its  brighter  side,  the  narrator  continues  her  own  ob- 
servations thus : 

"  The  thing  that  strikes  one  first  about  the  NefM 
is  its  color.  It  is  not  white  like  the  sand  dunes  we 
passed  yesterday,  nor  yellow  as  the  sand  is  in  parts 
of  the  Egyptian  desert,  but  a  really  bright  red,  al- 
most crimson  in  the  morning,  when  it  is  wet  with 
dew.  The  sand  is  rather  coarse,  but  absolutely  pure, 
without  admixture  of  any  foreign  substance,  pebble, 
grit,  or  earth,  and  exactly  the  same  in  tint  and  text- 
ure everywhere.  It  is,  however,  a  great  mistake  to 
suppose  it  barren.  The  Nefud,  on  the  contrary,  is 
better  wooded  and  richer  in  pasture  than  any  part  of 
the  desert  we  have  passed  since  leaving  Damascus. 
It  is  tufted  all  over  with  ghada  bushes,  and  bushes  of 
another  kind  called  yerta,  which  at  this  time  of  the 
year,  when  there  are  no  leaves,  is  exactly  like  a 
thickly  matted  vine. 

"  There  are,  besides,  several  kinds  of  camel  past- 
ure, especially  one  new  to  us,  called  adr,  on  which 
they  say  sheep  can  feed  for  a  month  without  wanting 
water,  and  more  than  one  kind  of  grass.  Both  cam- 
els and  mares  are  therefore  pleased  with  the  place, 
and  we  are  delighted  with  the  abundance  of  firewood 
for  our  camps.  Wilfrid  says  that  the  Nefud  has 
solved  for  him  at  last  the  mystery  of  horse-breeding 
in  Central  Arabia.  In  the  hard  desert  there  is  noth- 
ing a  horse  can  eat,  but  here  there  is  plenty.  The 
Nefiid  accounts  for  everything.  Instead  of  being  the 
terrible  place  it  has  been  described  by  the  few  travel- 
lers who  have  seen  it,  'it  is  in  reality  the  home  of  the 


288  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

Bedonins  during  a  great  part  of  the  year.  Its  only 
want  is  water,  for  it  contains  but  few  wells;  all  along 
the  edge  it  is  thickly  inhabited,  and  Radi  tells  us 
that  in  the  spring,  when  the  grass  is  green  after  rain, 
the  Bedouins  care  nothing  for  water,  as  their  camels 
are  in  milk,  and  they  go  for  weeks  without  it,  wan- 
dering far  into  the  interior  of  the  sand  desert." 

In  the  desert  of  sand  the  travellers  found  many 
curious  hollows,  which  the  native  guide  called  fnlj. 
Some  of  these  holes  were  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  di- 
ameter, and  as  much  as  230  feet  deep.  They  were 
chiefly  of  horse-hoof  shape.  They  took  observations, 
and  at  one  point  on  the  desert  found  the  elevation  to 
be  3,300  feet  above  sea-level.  After  seven  days  in 
the  Nefud,  the  last  two  of  which  tried  the  endurance 
of  men  and  beasts,  the  party  reached  the  oasis  of 
Jobba,  which  is  described  as  being  one  of  the  most 
curious,  as  also  most  beautiful,  places  in  the  world. 

"  Its  name  Jobba,  meaning  a  well,  explains  its  po- 
sition, for  it  lies  in  a  hole  or  well  in  the  Nefud  ;  not  in- 
deed in  a  fulj,  for  the  basin  of  Jobba  is  quite  on  an- 
other scale,  and  has  nothing  in  common  with  the 
horse-hoof  depressions  I  have  hitherto  described.  It 
is,  all  the  same,  extremely  singular,  and  quite  as  dif- 
ficult to  account  for  geologically  as  the  fuljes.  It  is 
a  great  bare  space  in  the  ocean  of  sand,  from  four  to 
five  hundred  feet  below  its  average  level,  and  about 

o  * 

three  miles  wide  ;  a  hollow,  in  fact,  not  unlike  that 
of  Jof,  but  with  the  Nefud  round  it  instead  of  sand- 
stone cliffs.  That  it  has  once  been  a  lake  is  pretty 
evident,  for  there  are  distinct  water  marks  on  the 
rocks,  which  crop  up  out  of  the  bed  just  above  the 


LADY  BLUNT "8  PILGRIMAGE  289 

town  ;  and,  strange  to  say,  there  is  a  tradition  still  ex- 
tant of  there  having  been  formerly  water  there.  The 
wonder  is  how  this  space  is  kept  clear  of  sand.  What 
force  is  it  that  walls  out  the  Nefud  and  prevents  en- 
croachments ?  As  yon  look  across  the  subbkha,  or 
dry  bed  of  the  lake,  the  Nefiid  seems  like  a  wall  of 
water  which  must  overwhelm  it ;  and  yet  no  sand 
shifts  down  into  the  hollow,  and  its  limits  are  accu- 
rately maintained." 

At  length  the  Nefud  was  overcome  and  the  trav- 
ellers approached  Hail,  not  without  apprehensions 
as  to  the  reception  that  might  await  them.  Their 
guide  from  Jof  enlightened  them  in  regard  to  many 
changes  that  had  occurred  since  Palgrave's  visit, 
changes  that  will  be  equally  interesting  to  readers 
who  have  followed  Palgrave's  narrative  in  preceding 
chapters. 

Telal,  then  despotic  ruler  at  Hail  (Ha'yel),  had  gone 
insane  and  committed  suicide  by  stabbing  himself  with 
his  own  dagger  four  years  after  Palgrave's  visit.  He 
was  succeeded  by  his  brother  Metaab,  who,  however, 
died  suddenly  after  reigning  three  years ;  when  a 
dispute  arose  between  his  brother  Mohammed  and 
Telal's  oldest  son,  Bender,  about  the  succession.  Mo- 
hammed being  away  at  the  time,  Bender,  a  youth  of 
twenty,  was  proclaimed  Emir.  Mohammed  returned, 
and  in  a  violent  quarrel  with  his  nephew  drew  his 
dagger  and  stabbed  him  to  death. 

oo 

"  Then  Mohammed  galloped  back  to  the  castle,  and 
finding  Hamiid  (son  of  Obeyd,  uncle  of  Telal)  there, 
got  his  help  and  took  possession  of  the  palace.  He 
then  seized  the  younger  sons  of  Tellal  (Palgrave's 


290  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

Telal),  Bender's  brothers,  all  but  one  child,  Naif,  and 
Bedr,  who  was  away  from  Hail,  and  had  their  heads 
cut  off  by  his  slaves  in  the  court-yard  of  the  castle. 
They  say,  however,  that  Haraud  protested  against 
this.  But  Mohammed  was  reckless,  or  wished  to 
strike  terror,  and  not  satisfied  with  what  he  had  al- 
ready done,  went  on  destroying  his  relations. 

"  He  had  some  cousins,  sons  of  Jabar,  a  younger 
brother  of  Abdallah  and  Obeyd  ;  and  these  he  sent  for. 
They  came  in  some  alarm  to  the  castle,  each  with  his 
slave.  They  were  all  young  men,  beautiful  to  look 
at,  and  of  the  highest  distinction ;  and  their  slaves 
had  been  brought  up  with  them,  as  the  custom  is, 
more  like  brothers  than  servants.  They  were  shown 
into  the  kahwah  of  the  castle,  and  received  with  great 
formality,  Mohammed's  servants  coming  forward  to 
invite  them  in.  It  is  the  custom  at  Hail,  whenever 
a  person  pays  a  visit,  that  before  sitting  down  lie 
should  hang  up  his  sword  on  one  of  the  wooden  pegs 
fixed  into  the  wall,  and  this  the  sons  of  Jabar  did,  and 
their  slaves  likewise.  Then  they  sat  down  and  waited 
and  waited,  but  still  no  coffee  was  served  to  them.  At 
last  Mohammed  appeared,  surrounded  by  his  guard, 
but  there  was  no  '  salaam  aleykum,'  and  instantly  he 
gave  orders  that  his  cousins  should  be  seized  and 
bound.  They  made  a  rush  for  their  swords,  but  were 
intercepted  by  the  slaves  of  the  castle  and  made  pris- 
oners. Mohammed  then,  with  horrible  barbarity, 
ordered  their  hands  and  their  feet  to  be  cut  off,  and 
the  hands  and  feet  of  their  slaves,  and  had  them,  still 
living,  dragged  cut  into  the  court-yard  of  the  palace, 
where  they  lay  till  they  died. 


LADY  BLUNT 'S  PILGRIMAGE  291 

"  These  ghastly  crimes,  more  ghastly  than  ever  in 
a  country  where  wilful  bloodshed  is  so  unusual,  seem 
to  have  struck  terror  far  and  wide,  and  no  one  has 
since  dared  to  raise  a  hand  against  Mohammed." 

The  knowledge  of  these  terrible  doings  naturally 
made  the  travellers  feel  that  they  were  venturing 
into  dangerous  quarters  as  they  rode  up  to  the  gates 
of  Hail.  The  Emir,  whose  title  was  Mohammed-ibn- 
Rashid  (Mohammed,  sou  of  Rashid),  however,  re- 
ceived them  kindly;  and  it  was  discovered  that,  apart 
from  the  bloody  work  of  the  succession,  he  had  turned 
out  to  be  not  a  bad  ruler.  In  any  part  of  his  domin- 
ions, it  was  understood  that  a  person  might  travel 
unarmed,  and  with  any  amount  of  gold  on  him,  with- 
out fear  of  molestation.  Moreover,  he  seemed  to 
have  been  deeply  stricken  with  remorse  for  his  past 
misdeeds,  lived  in  constant  fear  of  assassination,  and 
was  endeavoring  to  make  what  amends  he  could  by 
lavishing  honors  and  kindness  on  the  youth  Naif,  the 
only  one  of  his  nephews  he  had  spared — for  Bedr, 
too,  had  been  executed. 

It  all  reads  much  like  a  tale  from  the  "  Arabian 
Nights ; "  and  that  Arabia  is  still  the  land  of  romance 
and  poetry  is  confirmed  by  a  curious  bit  of  news 
learned  of  Obeycl,  about  whom  it  will  be  remembered 
Mr.  Palgrave  had  also  a  good  deal  to  say. 

"  He  (Obeyd)  lived  to  a  great  age,  and  died  only 
nine  years  ago  (i.e.,  1869).  It  is  related  of  him  that 
he  left  no  property  behind  him,  having  given  away 
everything  during  his  lifetime — no  property  but  his 
sword,  his  mare,  and  his  young  wife.  These  he  left 
to  his  nephew  Mohammed-ibn-Rashid,  the  reigning 


292  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

Emir,  with  the  request  that  his  sword  should  remain 
undrawn,  his  mare  unridden,  and  his  wife  unmarried 
forever  after." 

The  travellers  give  an  interesting  account  of  the 
Emir's  horses,  the  most  famous  stud  in  Nejd. 

Though  interested,  they  were,  on  the  whole,  disap- 
pointed with  the  horses  of  Nejd  as  compared  with 
those  of  Northern  Arabia.  "  In  comparing  what  we 
see  here  with  what  we  saw  last  year  in  the  north,  the 
first  thing  that  strikes  us  is  that  these  are  ponies,  the 
others  horses.  It  is  not  so  much  the  actual  difference 
in  height,  though  there  must  be  quite  three  inches  on 
an  average,  as  the  shape,  which  produces  this  impres- 
sion." 

The  average  height  was  found  to  be  under  fourteen 
hands ;  and  though  great  care  was  taken  to  obtain 
and  preserve  pure  strains  of  blood,  in  the  matter  of 
feeding  and  grooming,  gross  negligence  seemed  to  be 
the  rule,  even  in  the  royal  stud.  The  stables  were 
mere  open  yards,  in  which  the  animals  stood,  each 
tethered  to  a  manger.  No  shelter  was  provided,  but 
each  horse  was  protected  by  a  heavy  rug.  They 
wore  no  headstalls,  being  fastened  solely  with  ropes 
or  chains  about  the  fetlocks.  No  regular  exercise 
was  given  them,  their  food  was  almost  exclusively 
dry  barley,  and  their  appearance  generally  was  far 
different  from  what  Europeans  would  naturally  ex- 
pect of  the  finest  stable  of  horses  in  the  "  horse 
peninsula." 

The  travellers  also  enlighten  us,  on  the  subject  of 
horses,  in  other  directions.  Except  in  the  north, 
horses  were  found  to  be  exceedingly  rare.  It  is  pos- 


LADY  BLUNT 'S  PILGRIMAGE  293 

sible  to  travel  vast  distances  without  meeting  a  single 
horse,  or  even  crossing  a  horse-track  ;  on  the  whole 
journey  across  the  Nefftd,  and  on  to  the  Euphrates, 
they  scarcely  saw  a  horse,  apart  from  the  stables  of 
the  rich  and  great  in  the  cities.  The  horse  is  a  lux- 
ury to  be  afforded  only  by  people  of  wealth  or  posi- 
tion. Journeys  and  raids  and  wars  are  all  made  on 
camels ;  the  Sheykhs  who  have  horses,  when  going 
to  war  save  them  to  mount  at  the  moment  of  actual 
engagement  with  the  enemy.  It  was  considered  a 
great  boast  by  a  Nejd  tribe  of  Bedouins  that  they 
could  mount  one  hundred  horsemen  ;  while  the  Mu- 
teyr  tribe,  reputed  to  be  the  greatest  breeders  of  thor- 
oughbred stock  in  Central  Arabia,  would  be  expected 
to  muster  not  more  than  four  hundred  mares. 

Mohammed  -  ibn  -  Rashid  recruited  his  stables  by 
compelling  the  Slieykhs  of  tributary  tribes  to  sell 
him  their  best  animals,  an  improvement  on  some  of 
his  predecessors,  who  kept  their  studs  up  to  the 
proper  mark  becoming  Arab  royalty  by  making  raids 
against  the  tribes  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  in  cele- 
brated mares,  waiving  the  matter  of  payment. 

In  the  spring  the  horses  of  the  Emir's  stables  are 
distributed  among  the  neighboring  Bedouins  to  be 
pastured  on  the  I'sefud,  which  at  that  period  affords 
excellent  grazing.  Had  the  visitors  seen  the  herd 
after  a  month  on  the  Kefiid,  they  would  likely  have 
carried  away  a  much  more  favorable  impression. 
During  the  winter  quartering  the  colts  seemed  to 
fare  even  worse  than  their  dams  and  sires,  from  the 
following  : 

"  Besides    the    full-grown    animals,    Ibn   Rashid'a 


294:  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

yards  contain  thirty  or  forty  foals  and  yearlings, 
beautiful  little  creatures,  but  terribly  starved  and 
miserable.  Foals  bred  in  the  desert  are  poor  enough, 
but  those  in  town  have  a  positively  sickly  appearance. 
Tied  all  day  long  by  the  foot,  they  seem  to  have  quite 
lost  heart,  and  show  none  of  the  playfulness  of  their 
age.  Their  tameness,  like  that  of  the  '  fowl  and  the 
brute,'  is  shocking  to  see." 

The  contrast  between  the  actual  treatment  of  these 
royal  animals  and  the  following  Arab  recipe  for  rear- 
ing a  colt  is  sufficiently  striking: 

"During  the  first  month  of  his  life  let  him  be  con- 
tent with  his  mother's  milk ;  it  will  be  sufficient  for 
him.  Then,  during  five  months,  add  to  this  natural 
supply  goats'  milk,  as  much  as  he  will  drink.  For 
six  months  more  give  him  the  milk  of  camels,  and 
besides  a  measure  of  wheat  steeped  in  water  for  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  and  served  in  a  nose-bag.  At  a 
year  old  the  colt  will  have  done  with  milk  ;  he  must 
be  fed  on  wheat  and  grass,  the  wheat  dry  from  a 
nose-bag,  the  grass  green,  if  there  is  any. 

"  At  two  years  old  he  must  work  or  he  will  be 
worthless.  Feed  him  now,  like  a  full-grown  horse, 
on  barley  ;  but  in  summer  let  him  also  have  gruel 
daily  at  mid-day.  Make  the  gruel  thus :  Take  a 
double-handful  of  flour  and  mix  it  in  water  well  with 
your  hands  till  the  water  seems  like  milk,  then  strain 
it,  leaving  the  dregs  of  the  flour,  and  give  what  is 
liquid  to  the  colt  to  drink. 

"Be  careful,  from  the  hour  he  is  born,  to  let  him 
stand  in  the  sun;  shade  hurts  horses;  but  let  him 
have  water  in  plenty  when  the  day  is  hot.  The  colt 


LADY  BLUNTS  PILGRIMAGE  295 

must  now  be  mounted  and  taken  by  his  owner  every- 
where with  him,  so  that  he  shall  see  everything  and 
learn  courage.  He  must  be  kept  constantly  in  exer- 
cise, and  never  remain  long  at  his  manger.  He 
should  be  taken  on  a  journey,  for  the  work  will 
fortify  his  limbs.  At  three  years  old  he  should  be 
trained  to  gallop ;  then,  if  he  be  true  blood,  he  will 
not  be  left  behind.  Yalla  !  " 

Lady  Blunt  thinks  this  represents  a  traditional 
practice  of  rearing  colts  in  Arabia  since  the  days  of 
the  Prophet  Mohammet. 

From  Hail,  the  party  joined  the  Haj,  or  caravan 
of  Persian  pilgrims,  returning  home  from  Mecca 
and  Medina  ;  and  after  eighty-four  days'  travel  from 
Damascus  their  Arabian  journey  came  to  an  end 
at  Bagdad.  Their  route  from  Hail  took  them  far 
north  of  Palgrave's  route,  so  that  they  did  not  visit 
Ri'ad,  the  headquarters,  in  Palgrave's  time,  of  the 
Wahabee  ruler  Feysul.  Lady  Blunt,  however,  in 
an  appendix  to  her  narrative  enlightens  us  in  re- 
gard to  the  end  of  Feysul,  and  the  continued  de- 
cline of  the  Wahabee  regime  after  the  visit  of 
Palgrave. 

Three  years  after  Palgrave's  visit  Feysul  died, 
and  the  Wahabee  state,  which  under  him  had  re- 
gained much  of  its  power  and  influence  (which  had 
been  all  but  crushed  by  the  Turks  after  the  Crimean 
war)  was  again  weakened  by  internal  dissensions. 
Feysul  left  two  sons,  Abdallah  and  Saoud,  who  quar- 
relled and  put  themselves  at  the  head  of  their  respec- 
tive adherents.  Saoud  proved  himself  the  stronger 
party,  and  in  1871  Abdallah  fled  to  Jebel  Sham- 


296  TRAVELS  IN  ARABIA 

mar  and  sought  the  aid  of  Midhat  Pasha,  Turkish 
governor  at  Bagdad. 

The  result  was  that  a  Turkish  expedition  of  5,000 
regular  troops  occupied  the  seaboard  territory  of 
Hasa,  and  took  possession  of  Hofhoof  (mentioned  by 
Palgrave)  ;  whilst  Abdallah  and  his  adherents,  and  a 
third  rival,  Abdallah-ibn-Turki,  attacked  Saoud  at 
Ri'ad.  Saoud  was  defeated,  and  Abdallah  essayed  to 
govern  at  Ki'ad  ;  but  in  the  following  year  he  was 
again  ejected  by  Saoud  who  reigned  till  1874,  when 
he  died,  not  without  suspicion  of  poison. 

Lady  Blunt's  account  of  affairs  at  the  AVahabee 
capital  ends  with  the  information  that  Abdallah  and 
a  half-brother,  Abderrahman,  were  in  joint  and  ami- 
cable control,  Abdallah  as  Emir,  the  latter  as  his 
chief  minister.  Hasa  and  the  seaboard  was  held  by 
the  Turks,  whose  policy  was  the  stirring  up  of  strife 
and  feudal  enmity  among  the  Arabs,  with  a  view  to 
weakening  the  power  and  authority  of  the  Emir  at 
Ri'ad,  and  so  making  the  country  easy  prey  whenever 
opportunity  arrives  for  its  incorporation  in  the  Otto- 
man dominions.  The  power  and  fanaticism  of  the 
once  powerful  Wahabee  Empire,  has  become  but  lit- 
tle more  than  a  name  and  a  remembrance  among  the 
Bedouin  tribes,  who  once  paid  tribute  to  its  Emirs ; 
and  whatever  was  national  in  thought  and  respecta- 
ble in  inspiration  in  Central  Arabia  seemed  to  be 
grouping  itself  around  the  new  dynasty  of  the  Emir 
of  Jebel  Sliamrnar,  Mohamnied-ibn-Rashid  of  Hail. 

THE   END. 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FAdUTY 


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